Unearthed Legacy

[Nayt]

Xibtrae furrowed her brow, her cheeks actually becoming a bit rosy in color. Nothing short of Garv's blunt flirting in public had gotten her to blush noticeably, but she still did--and what he was saying wasn't even that bad! It was just the latter bit that had got to her . . .

Amongst her own people, she wasn't self conscious about her outlandish looks. Everyone had outlandish looks there; she wasn't alone. But here . . . there were only so many genetic differences amongst these people. Traits such as height and skin color were generally all the same, enough that at first, Xibtrae had actually thought they all looked like the same person. It wasn't until later that she realized exactly how racist of a thought that was, at which point she felt it imperative to look over human beings much closer to spot all the unique differences, so she wouldn't have any sort of thought like that again. But raised around people who were all unique in every way, it was difficult.

That said, it was a little embarrassing when he pointed out her blatant oddities--like her horns, or how ghostly pale she was and unable to burn or tan, or her eye color, or anything like that . . .

Disregarding this by averting her gaze from Garv enough that he wouldn't see her blushing, Xibtrae made sure her pack was strapped tight to her back, and replied, "I am ready."

[Zach Kaiser]

"Good. Then let's get this show on the road."

Personality flaws aside, Garv was competent at what he did. One thing he learned is that an easy travel route was usually preferable to a shorter one, so he stuck to what was left of the roads whenever possible. As there wasn't much in the way of threats during the day, it would even be pleasant.

It would take a few days to get there, though, and while he hoped there'd be some beds intact at their destination they'd have to camp out in the meantime. Garv was used to it, and Xibtrae at least had her own blanket now, so she didn't to stay so close to him if she didn't want to.

But did he ever wish she'd want to.

"Y'know, maybe we should put the blankets side by side," Garv suggested. "That way if you get cold, you can always snuggle up next to me. I'm a hot blooded man, I'll be nice and warm."

[Nayt]

By this time, Xibtrae could walk fine. It had only taken her a week to regain her strength to walk on her own. For a long distance she could walk fine without needing to rest. Before all of this, it was better--able to run a marathon if she needed to, but Xibtrae couldn't complain.

This slow regaining of her physical capabilities worked to her advantage. They were just walking, and not all that quickly, and while walking for fifteen our of twenty four hours was tiring, it wasn't impossibly difficult anymore. It was only supposed to be for a couple of days, anyways. After this, Xibtrae anticipated another nice bed to sleep on--something to justify sleeping on the ground for.

When they stopped, Xibtrae unpacked her blanket. It was going to be enough to cover her. She'd just need it to be driven to the ground somehow. Garv could probably help with that. Xibtrae spread it across the ground in a fairly proper way, making sure it spread evenly without bunching up anywhere, perfectly flat. She had made sure to try again and again until she got it that way.

"If thou feelest it a necessity," Xibtrae replied with a nod of her head.

It was a much easier way of saying that sometimes she didn't mind having something to hug onto at night, and since she lacked a pillow or anything of the sort, if she started to feel lonely in mid-sleep, she might just want to hold onto Garv--and as embarrassing as that may be upon awakening, it was better than waking up with a lonely hollow sensation deep within the recesses of her heart.

[Zach Kaiser]

While it wasn't exactly an enthralled response, even that much of a concession from Xibtrae was a victory. And she didn't even make a face at him! He took a break from being amused at her obsessiveness with her blanket to hide a grin.

"Well, it's always good to err on the side of caution," he responded lightly. "Here...let me help."

He spread his own blanket out, slightly overlapping hers (though he was far less neat about it) and secured them to the ground with daggers as he had the previous night.

I wonder how much it would it cost to buy a purple tent? It would definitely be more comfortable. Damn, I should have done that--there'd definitely be enough room for some fun then.

He made a mental note to set aside some of his earnings from this job for that when he got back. Then he could travel in company with impunity. He just hoped shades would still ignore the color even if the inside ended up being noisy...

[Nayt]

Noise perhaps caused by Xibtrae shouting at him to let her sleep . . .

"Thou hast my appreciation," Xibtrae whispered as she slid under the blanket.

Which was in itself a bit of a difficult process, but not impossible. Xibtrae had to go at it from many different angles. With her horns, she couldn't just lay on her back and pull herself under the blanket; she had to somehow be on her side, which while scooting under the blanket, was a little difficult.

Nonetheless, she inevitably managed, and lay upon her side, eyes half shut with her cheek resting upon her hands. The ground was tough and difficult to find comfort upon. It would have perhaps been easier for Garv to lay upon his back and for her to lay upon him on her side, with the side of her head upon his chest and the like. Xibtrae wasn't about to request that, though. If Garv offered, though, she might had been tempted. And after laying like this for awhile, she might have even accepted that offer.

As usual, unless he spoke to her, she was unlikely to say a word, allowing herself to drift into sweet thoughtlessness. Any opportunity to think of nothing was well accepted.

[Zach Kaiser]

If there was one thing that could be counted on, it was that Garv never missed an opportunity when it came to women. If there was a second thing, it was that he could find a good place to get a drink, but that wasn't relevant at the moment, since they were traveling.

Which meant he brought his own, of course.

Laying on his back with his hands under his head, he watched Xibtrae try and get comfortable out of the corner of his eye. Damn, must be a pain in the neck to have horns like that. Ouch, that was cringe worthy--I don't want to end up like that idiot.

Well, I guess there's only one chivalrous thing to do.

"Y'know, I bet I would make a better pillow than the ground," he mused aloud.

[Nayt]

At first, Xibtrae didn't respond. She tried to close her eyes and get comfortable, shifting position every so often as it her body, now used to sleeping on a bed, rejected the notion of finding comfort on this rough and rugged earth. She had been fine the first night, having never truly slept in so long, but now that she was used to a bed . . .

What was Garv's game? Was he trying to lure her in, so he could wrap his arms around her and maybe do whatever he wanted with her? A paranoid thought, one best discarded. Xibtrae couldn't deny that his offer was a good idea, regardless of the fact that she still didn't want him getting any wrong ideas. Relationships should have been the last thing on her mind at the moment, and she was genuinely trying to keep it that way. Friends, perhaps. Yes, friends could be nice, even if they were going to be forever temporary. Nonetheless, after some time of stalling, Xibtrae finally scooted over and quietly helped herself to laying upon Garv, upon her side so not to risk hurting him with her horns.

"Thou art too kind," whispered Xibtrae as she shut her eyes.

Was she being sarcastic or honest? She could have been making a sarcastic statement, suggesting that she felt that Garv was just suggesting this for his own benefit--just to have her laying on top of him. Or she could have been being serious, and genuinely speaking her appreciation for Garv sacrificing his comfort for her sake. Either or--he could make up his own mind for that one; Xibtrae couldn't be held accountable either way. Truth be told, he was fairly comfortable to lay upon, enough that she was going to be falling asleep fairly soon. She was unlikely to remember what she had said just then for that reason alone.

Indeed, it wouldn't take long before her breathing became shallow. Xibtrae lay there, the side of her head upon her chest, her hands up close and level with her head, the back of her right hand upon the other side of Garv's chest and her left hand loose upon his sternum. Her legs were up just a bit so she was almost curled up where she lay, but it wasn't long after that she unconsciously abandoned this effort--and soon after, her legs intertwined with Garv's. It was how many lovers slept every night of every day, and somethign Xibtrae had no been exposed to very much prior to her inevitable trapping. Garv was in no way her lover, but he received a few various interactions with her that he wouldn't have had she never been trapped at all (ignoring the time issue, of course!), just because some things like the warmth of another person near her just felt too nice to pass up.

[Zach Kaiser]

Xibtrae was an intriguing woman. Normally, she had no problem rebuffing his advances, and she could see through his bullshit more often than most women--and then there times like this, when she seemed almost vulnerable. No, that wasn't the word for it; what she seemed like sometimes was...lonely.

He could only guess at what her life was like until this point--and he did have his guesses--but the way she acted it was as though she hadn't had any company in a long, long time.

Either she's unlucky she got picked up by someone like me, or damn lucky it wasn't someone worse. There were a lot of guys out there who didn't understand the thrill of the chase. They'd get to the finish line using any means, but would ultimately find victory unsatisfying and move onto the next target, trying to let quantity make up for quality.

Of course, there were also a fair amount that would help a girl out without asking for anything in return, so there was that as well.

Well, she seems willing to put up with me for awhile...I guess I'll be grateful for that.

Despite wanting to savor being next to Xibtrae for longer (especially as she was willing to get a lot closer when she slept than any other time), Garv soon found himself drifting off to sleep as well.

...However, it was not destined to be a restful night. Like many nights before, Xibtrae would feel a hand upon her...this time it touched her cheek, trailing fingers down to her lips and chin.

But when it touched Garv's chest, the hand froze...and soon both of them would feel a draft. If the touch didn't wake Xibtrae, the cold early spring air surely would...and when she opened her eyes, she'd see not the slightly violet twinged darkness of the blanket, but the pitch-black of night.

And a pair of unblinking red eyes...

[Nayt]

After awhile, that had become a little annoying. Sure, Xibtrae got used to it. She stopped thinking that Garv was messing with her while she slept--but it was still annoying. If every time she was waking up, she felt like something was touching her in a little bit of an intimate way . . . well, she'd get used to it eventually, but it'd probably bother her for awhile . . .

Then again, maybe she was just lonely, and sort of wanted to wake up like that sometime. What if Garv really did wake her up by setting his hand upon her side? Or by trailing his fingers down her cheek and then gently across her lips like a lover longing for her attention? What would she have done? As Xibtrae opened her eyes, yet to feel the cold air of the night, she thought about that as a sort of post-dream thought process. In the end, she didn't know. If it was subtle, she might not have even minded. She had been so quick to lay on top of Garv, laying on her side, on his chest, curled up--did that say anything? Maybe she was just lonely. Not that it was going to matter.

The cold air brought her to her senses. The woman looked first up to Garv, finding him to be asleep--and then she realized that there was no blanket, and it was night. She slowly sat up, hoping to get a better look around for the blanket, hoping to find it before something absolutely deplorable happened. By that point, her heart was pounding a little. Garv said shades came at night . . .

And one had.

Xibtrae, sitting on Garv, right between his hips (she didn't weigh much, though; not enough that he was going to notice in an uncomfortable way), froze still as she stared forward at the pair of red eyes.

"Wh--" Xibtrae started, only to stumble over her words.

Panic was setting in. Calm down. She slowly reached beside of Garv. He carried knives on him, right? Where were the blasted things?!

"Who art thou . . .?" Xibtrae whispered, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. If it could speak, or knew the Common language of the world, maybe she was a step in the door to safety? If not, though, and she could find one of Garv's knives . . . (or, in the same vein, Garv might well feel Xibtrae grabbing gently around the area of his waist, looking for his belt, where he kept so many knives).

[Zach Kaiser]

There would be no answer from the shade--not in any form she'd understand, anyway. No words escaped its lips, only guttural noises. It took a step forward, its foot just inches from where Garv lay...

And then, movement. As gently as he could while still being forceful enough to get the job done, Garv shoved Xibtrae off of him with one hand, the other swiping out with a knife suddenly in it, slashing at the shade's ankles.

It hissed out as dark mist escaped from where it was struck, but it did not topple over as a human would have. But Garv didn't expect him to and jumped to his feet, ready to finish the job.

The shade was quick, though, and strong. A single swipe from its arm sent him tumbling into the darkness, out of sight. It glared after him, though, and growled a bit, before turning back to Xibtrae.

It stalked towards her, slow but intent, walking through pillars of moonlight that shone through the forest canopy as it did. It was then that she'd see it a bit more clearly--it was, in fact, the same form that stalked her through the underground ruins a week ago.

Additionally, it had a bewildered, conflicted look on its face...

[Nayt]

Xibtrae felt a snap of panic and a rush once the creature took a step forward. She was much more frantic this time in trying to find a knife around Garv's belt. She couldn't. Did he have them on his belt? Oh--he didn't have his belt at all, did he? Oh--that . . . wasn't good . . .

But Garv had that covered. Sort of--

"Ahn!" Xibtrae let out a cry of surprise as she was shoved off of Garv.

She hit the ground hard, shoulder first. The woman was light, easy to push around. Garv, in a rush as he was, had pushed her a little too hard--but then again, she wasn't quite used to being on the receiving end of pain and punishment, not just yet. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to get used to it, but if this world was anything like it had been explained to her . . . hoping would just be senseless.

Garv had attacked the creature while Xibtrae was still pulling herself up, but not to stand. She wound up sitting up, one hand back to keep herself up, the only reached over to her shoulder, which sort of hurt at the moment. Funny. She didn't remember being so frail.

The sound of Garv being knocked away brought Xibtrae out of her drowsy thoughts. Her eyes widened and she reached for him, about ready to shout for him, ready to get up and run to him--but she couldn't. Xibtrae had locked eyes with the creature again--and she found herself paralyzed. She had never been this frail before, never this helpless-- I . . . I still cannot fight . . .? No--no! I can! She tried to stand up. She failed. In the end, all she could do was back away--slowly, quickly, it didn't matter. Just keep her eyes on it and back away.

It had been a long while since she felt scared for her life--and it showed. Her lower lip was quivering, her heart was pounding, and her eyes were wide with fear. Fear both for her own safety and for the girl trapped inside of the rings around her wrist.

[Zach Kaiser]

The situation seemed hopeless. Even in the week, Xibtrae still wasn't used enough to her body to fight well. Out here in the shade-infested wilderness, no one would be coming to her rescue, and there was not so much as a rustle from the direction her companion had been tossed. There was nothing but dead silence.

But as the creature drew nearer, she would hear a voice. It was not the shade's inhuman noises, nor was it the slick voice of Garv. Instead, it was a voice Xibtrae hadn't heard much recently, only in her dreams or when she was close to unconsciousness:

No...this can't be happening.

It was Valerie, the young girl currently trapped as Xibtrae herself had been for thousands of years.

I...I d-don't want to die...but...

Somehow, she was aware of what was going on, and she couldn't stand what she saw, her savior in as bad a situation as she herself had been on.

...but...

She didn't know what she could do. She seemed to be trapped; even if she could pull off a teleport spell or conjure some other form of transportation, she had no idea where neither she nor Xibtrae were. She would never make it. Nevertheless, she had to do something. Because...

...even so...I don't want anyone to die in my place!

A connection was reinforced, by the same empathy which had forged it to begin with. The support was no longer one-directional; it could now flow either way freely.

And so the words would rise to Xibtrae's mind; not a sudden shock of knowledge, but rather as though she always knew them, and just could not recall...

Set the world ablaze

Durandal

[Nayt]

At first, Xibtrae was extremely confused. The situation was daunting enough to her that rationality was thrown out of the window--at least, briefly. Years before, she kept a good head on her shoulders; never let bad situations like this strike her with so much fear that she couldn't move or think-- yet having experienced life or death situations so long ago, this point, where she had no escape, frightened her to no end. It was the same inexperience that she felt when trying to fight physically, or when she tried to do something as simple as walking earlier. Mental fortitude, just like physical ability, could diminish over time, but it could also replenish just as quickly.

Well, so long as nothing permanently impaired it.

Her breaths became slower and her heart pounded less. Xibtrae understood: this was just the same as hearing Saqin speak to her in her "world." He couldn't physically be there, and she couldn't physically be with him, but when he spoke, she heard it within her mind, as if someone was speaking within the confines of her brain . . .

Likewise, was this the same thing that Saqin experienced? Saqin and so many others like him, that had items and weapons just like this? It must have been disorienting at first, to pick up an item and hear a voice in one's head, unable to distinguish who it was-- gods, after all, could communicate instantly; trapped humans, however, could not.

Initially, she didn't say anything to Val. That could happen later. Knowing that there was a chance still--that the rings around her wrist could do something useful! . . . hopefully. And so, Xibtrae, without yet standing, held her right hand out, the rings dangling from her right wrist, as she whispered:

"Set the world ablaze . . . Durandal . . ."

[Zach Kaiser]

Warmth. That would be the first thing Xibtrae would notice, just as it was the first thing Val did. It spread from her wrists, or rather from the bracelets, up her arm to her should and chest, and from there all throughout her body, to her very core. It was a pleasant warmth, comforting, the warmth of a blanket and warm beverage on a cold day, of the embrace of a loved one...

"Ah-!" she gasped. While significance of the location was lost on Val, who wore a bracelet on each wrist rather than both on one, she nevertheless grasped that this wasn't just her. She couldn't put it into words, but she was with Xibtrae somehow, and despite the strange sensation she wasn't afraid.

Xibtrae would feel something Val did not, however. Much like the way she "recalled" the phrase earlier, new knowledge would be present in her mind: spells. Val's power, earned through countless hours of study and practice, was now hers to command, from simple tricks mages found handy to the destructive fire magic that was her specialty. And on her wrist, the red gems embedded in the bracelet began to glow...

It couldn't know what was going on, but the shade sensed that something was amiss. It already learned once to be wary of this particular creature, and it was hesitant to move closer for the moment, lest it share the fate of its brother from a week ago.

[Nayt]

Unfortunately, it was a little overwhelming. Abilities and knowledge piled onto a person all at once could have some disorienting consequences, and Xibtrae was no exception. While this would have only been mildly confusing however many thousands of years ago, her mind was in borderline chaos at that moment.

Still, something had to be done. Feeling as if she had remembered a lifetime of knowledge all at once, what--exactly--was hard to figure out. Which spell to use? It was starting to make Xibtrae's head hurt, but that may just be a necessary evil. If this hadn't happened, she'd have a vast number of other pains right now. So, it was a matter of choosing the right spell, then. What if she couldn't remember them all? Maybe there were a ton of others that she couldn't recall--but then again, Xibtrae never technically learned them, either.

She sat up, right knee bent up close to her chest, her left on the ground, bracing. She was going to have to stand up soon, and after any incident of stress, that was a little difficult. Inwardly, Xibtrae hoped once again that this would only be temporary, and she'd be in good form soon enough . . .

The bracelets upon her wrist shook as Xibtrae lifted her palm up, holding it open towards the dark creature. Still, she was fighting with what to do, and wasn't about to stand up until she did something. What if whatever she did knocked her back? She'd be shade food, then.

Frustrated at this, Xibtrae huffed and went on instinct. This was a lot like something she used to be able to do: the shade would find itself thrown off of its feet; not a strong wave of energy, or even a wave of energy at all, but enough to throw it down and give her a little more time. Time enough to think--and stand up, more importantly.