Unearthed Legacy

[Shin]

Ryuku was happy to see the camp was packed up and ready to go, not that was really a hard thing being as it was so small to begin with. Ryuku didn't bother to reply to Garv, he simply nodded and smiled, then moved to pick him his own gear which consisted of a fairly small sack stuffed with some dried food.

"XIbtrae, do your people have a name for the style you use?" Ryuku asking as he pulled a slab of dried meat out. Maybe not the best breakfast, but anything was better then nothing and as it was he didn't really have much of an appetitie. He was getting excited, they were so close to the temple maybe he would actually get some answers!

Regardless on if XIbtrae answered him or dodged the question Ryuku would remain silent for the remainder of the walk, talking to the time to think and work over things in his head, doing so he would voluntairly fall a little ways behind to think and pull rear guard... not that it was needed, but it was simply a habit and Ryuku was aware he was doing it.

[Nayt]

Xibtrae was visibly surprised to see Garv, but only for a moment. She had felt him there, but she had felt him close by earlier, too. Anyways, had Garv seen the whole thing? Xibrae wondered about this. It would have been a little embarrassing, yes. She hadn't done too well. In fact, if they were seriously sparring, Ryuku would have beaten her to the ground, and there wouldn't have been a single thing she could say or do about it.

Her surprise to see Garv faded as she responded to him, "Oh. I . . . well, twas many a year ago. Tis been too long; I cannot move like I once could."

Xibtrae didn't want Garv to think that she had been skimping out on him when they encountered the shadow creature the other night. She wasn't, truly. It had simply been so long since she had fought something that she froze up, and even when she tried something, her body simply didn't move like she wanted it to.

"Feorh Brecahn," Xibtrae then replied to Ryuku with a slight nod of the head.

What it meant, specifically, she didn't go into. Translated into their English, it meant something along the lines of "spirit break," a style of fighting that Xibtrae specifically made up on her own, based on the basic hand to hand combat she was taught when she enlisted in the kingdom's army. It was similar, with an emphasis upon throws to demoralize an opponent, but she came up with numerous additions that, too, could demoralize an enemy quite a bit after awhile. In theory, she didn't quite have to draw an opponent to unconsciousness or death; when she was still practiced, she could beat them until their arms, shoulders, and many a ribcage were broken, after which they'd have no choice but to retreat.

Nonetheless, Xibtrae quietly gathered her pack, which Garv had been kind enough to pack for her.

[Zach Kaiser]

Garv was beginning to suspect that there was more to Ryuku than just a simple traveler looking for an escort. Something about that smile suggested not ignorance, but confidence. As though he was aware of his capabilities and simply didn't consider Garv a threat. Once upon a time he would have probably sooner ditched someone like that than risk being around them for any length of time, but now he just resolved to keep an eye on him.

"Out of practice, eh?" Garv gave her a grin. "Must have learned early, to be out of practice at your age." It wasn't really an observation though, more like...teasing. As though he was daring her to contradict him.

Feorh Brecahn...it wasn't a term he'd heard, but he knew some things close to them. If it meant what he thought it did, it was either one hell of a coincidence, or...

[Shin]

Ryuku kept behind the XIbtrae and Garv as they walked, partially because his senses allowed him to detect just about anything that got to near and because it gave him a little privacy. His mind worked over the very few movements him and Xibtrae went through together, he compared her movements to other styles he was aware of, there were many similarities.

His mind then moved onto his other companion, Garv. The man was an enigma and Ryuku got the distinct impression that the man didn't trust him. Not that it mattered because if positions were reversed Ryuku was sure he wouldn't trust himself either. He ran a hand through his thick brown hair and quickened his step so as to not be left behind, though he would remain silent until they came upon their destination or was specifically spoken to.

[Nayt]

"Well . . ."

Xibtrae didn't get the notion that Garv was just teasing her. More often than not, she understood jokes and teasing like that, but there was a very good reason why this time was so different:

It was a great question. Xibtrae thought about it for a very long moment. She had to avoid talking about the full reality of her situation and life at all costs. It was important to her that no one knew who she really was. In the worst case scenario, then, if she kept up a good guise, someone would recognize her name and appearance from stories or something of the like, if people still told stories about the old gods, and she'd simply be able to say that because of her unique skin color, she had named after one of those old gods who had a similar skin color.

"Yes, twas a very long time ago," Xibtrae responded with a sincere nod, "I was but a child then."

Which wasn't a lie, technically. Xibtrae had learned how to fight when she was in her adolescent years, and it had been an awfully long time since she had put such skills to use. Likewise, even in her adult years, she wasn't as mature and experienced a person as she was now. While there was no physical age difference between Xibtrae now and Xibtrae then, back when she was initially trapped, she was a (metaphorical) child back then, comparatively.

[Zach Kaiser]

"Musta been a regular prodigy," Garv commented, but didn't press any further for information. His suspicion that Xibtrae wouldn't talk about her past were confirmed thanks to Ryuku, as much as he reluctant to give the man credit for anything outside of being a good source of income.

Like the previous days, this one would pass uneventfully; while the shades made the night extremely dangerous, their presence meant the daylight hours were devoid of even the usual hazards of predators and bandits. Though, Garv wasn't sure how much of a presence either presence had in Greoul.

But as the sun was starting to set, something would appear on the horizon--something that wasn't trees. It was the top of a building...a large one, at that.

[Shin]

The walking was both long and boring and one could only do so much thinking before they drove themselves to boredom, Ryuku had reached that stage fairly quickly. It wasn't that Ryuku was anti-social he just didn't have anything to talk about, him and Garv didn't have a thing in common as far as he could tell and Xibtrae was very cryptic with her answers. Ryuku decided he'd get less vague answers from a fortune cookie.

Despite his own boredom Ryuku refrained from speaking until night fall. He spent the majority of the walk trying to identify the different trees, animals sounds or anything else he could though he was pretty sure he didn't get a single one right. When the sun began to dip, Ryuku already tired of his naming game, and the top of a building became apparent in the distance a tingle of excitement raced through Ryuku.

"Is that another town? or our destination?" He asked Garv as he walked over near him, partially to ask him and partially so he could get that purple blanket again.

[Nayt]

Xibtrae was relatively silent during their walk, but not for lack of drive to converse. Truth be told, she had simply focused upon a different conversation, one that was much more silent than any conversation with Garv or Ryuku would have been. Naturally, this was a conversation between she and the trapped spirit within her bracelets, Valerie Durandal. Whenever Xibtrae focused upon Val, she lost the ability to focus upon conversations with anyone else, and it was even somewhat hard to hear them. But that was acceptable. Garv didn't seem to mind long silences, and she hadn't noticed yet that Ryuku did mind them.

The woman knew exactly what it was like to be in Val's situation; how lonely it felt and how difficult it was to keep one's hopes high, even in a hopeful situation, so Xibtrae had made it a point to keep Val company. All she could do was talk to the girl, but it was better than nothing.

She was still actually sort of focused upon this when a structure of some sort became visible, and for a moment, didn't register that Ryuku had said anything--and might not even register that Garv might reply. Truth be told, the conversation she was having with Val was easy to get lost in.

[Zach Kaiser]

"Lost" was a good way of putting talking with Val. She would start talking about one thing, be reminded of something, go off on a tangent, think of something related to that, etc. A flow chart of the conversation would have looked labyrinthine; it would be especially hard for Xibtrae to follow, as Val took for granted that the person she was talking to knew things like the social norms of the times and basic geography and culture.

"That's our destination," Garv replied. "The Greoulian Academy for Studies of the Paranormal. Good ol' GASP, called such because a lot of folks supposedly stopped breathing in there. People say all kinds of crazy research went on there, not all of it legal...or moral." Not that he had any inherent problems with either the illegal or the immoral, but at least most of the people he cheated or gutted were usually the type that would do the same to him given the chance.

Something struck him as odd as they got closer, though; a small town had sprung up around the building, which was an academy, and the town was razed practically to the ground. The building itself, however, seemed entirely undamaged.

"Interesting...wonder if someone's still home." That was both a good thing and a bad; if there were people here, it meant that they probably had some defense from the shades. On the other hand, it was going to be harder to find what he needed if there were people who wanted it to remain hidden.

[Shin]

Ryuku remained silent as they moved closer to the destroyed town, he very carefully inspected the area as they got closer. He wouldn't go as far as to slow the groups progress or wander away from them, he simply scanned the grounds, destroyed buildings and anything else his eyes came across for a sign of what happened.

"Did the catastrophe do this?" Ryuku asked as they walked.

He noted the same thing Garv had as well, the large building seemed perfectly fine. But how was that possible? Ryuku had to wonder if the building was magically protected somehow, and if it was then was someone controlling it, or a sentient magic, or....

Ryukus mind raced through the possible reasons, though in the end the truth of the matter was that he didn't know for sure. Not knowing only made him want to dig further, to go inside the building, and if they got close enough to see a door or a window he would make his way towards it.

"It'll be dark soon. Were going to need to find a place to set camp in a soon." He spoke off handedly, an exscuse for him to draw closer to this GASP place.

[Nayt]

Truth be told, Xibtrae didn't mind getting lost in conversation with Val. Conversing never bothered her, even when she didn't understand half of what was being said. Their two languages mixed well, though, and the Common language of this world was easy to learn for Xibtrae--so that was fine. Geography and the like, too, was fine. Xibtrae didn't need to know exactly where a place was on the map to understand its value to the girl. Val was a good kid, this Xibtrae could tell already. Allowed the opportunity, she would certainly grow up to become a fine young woman.

But she regrettably cut conversation short once they were closing in on the academy, enough to see it in the distance, and all the ruin that surrounded it.

"Catastrophe?" Xibtrae asked, as if absentmindedly forgetting the current state of the world. It was only after this that she recalled what Ryuku was talking about. "Oh, right."

Oddly enough, though, for all the ruin it stood within, the academy seemed perfectly fine. It was a beautiful work of architecture, truly. Were it not for the signs of recent devastation, Xibtrae would have been in visible awe. She was in awe, though, and concluded that, before the catastrophe, if this academy was not a structure visited simply to behold its architectural wonder, then there was something wrong with this world. Much more relevant to their current situation, however, was the fact that it would be dark soon, and the academy looked pretty stable.

"Tis certainly well fortified," she observed, mostly to herself.

The village around it wasn't so well fortified, but the academy itself must have been well defended so far. Maybe by survivors. That would be nice. Maybe that was why Garv was coming out here, even . . .

[Zach Kaiser]

Garv arched an eyebrow at Xibtrae, but otherwise didn't comment on her slip. "We'll still have to use the blankets, but I'd rather sleep on a bed than on the ground again, so let's check it out."

He didn't mention that there probably weren't any survivors--the windows were all either boarded up or had curtains drawn, and there wasn't any light coming from the place. Such an advanced facility would have surely had electricity, no doubt...

Up a small flight of steps and around a bone-dry fountain was a large double-doorway. Garv put his ear to it and, when he heard nothing, opened the door as quietly as he could, just peeking in at first and then opening it wider, to slowly reveal...

Nothing. Just an entrance hall, lit only by the dim glow of the setting sun that pierced through the open door. Everything beyond a dozen yards was obscured by shadow.

[Shin]

When it became apparent that Xibtrae and Garv weren't opposed to checking out the building more closely before night fall Ryuku was excited, but not visibly so. He waited at the base of the stairs, looking from the large building to the small ones that were built near it.

To Ryuku this GASP structure was something impressive to him. Ryuku often forgot how out of touch with the world he was, he had seen more grand structures before, even in his own time thousands of years ago. But the regularity in which he saw buildings like this, buildings that during his time would have been prized posessions, still surprised him.

Once Garv opened the door, revealing the darkness inside Ryuku instinctivley reached out with his other sense. It would allow him to sense a source that was strong in psionics, magic and other gatherings of large energies. There would be no gaurantee that Ryuku would know what it was, or even if it was living...only if there was something within the direct vicinity of them, a hundred feet or so.

"Shall I provide some light?" Ryuku asked Garv, not sure if the man had other means to light the hallway infront of them.

Truth be told, Ryuku could navigate the darkness with relative ease, as he had been trained to do. But he didn't know if Garv or Xibtrae could do the same...come to think of it...other then Xibtraes martial skill he didn't know what either of them could do.

Ryukus mind began to wander over the posibilities....

[Nayt]

Unlike Ryuku, Xibtrae did not wait at the bottom of the stairs to the GASP's entrance. She followed Garv up the whole way, sticking relatively close to him. She wasn't privy to the idea of being stranded out this far, even if this place looked well fortified. After all, everything around it lay in desolation. Perhaps the source of this desolation still lingered out here--and there was definitely strength in numbers. Already she could determine that Ryuku was much better off than she in terms of combat, but so was Garv. It was one or the other, and without thinking much about it, she opted to stick with Garv.

For the time being, Garv was her guardian. Until Xibtrae could properly defend herself from a serious threat to hers and others' safety, she had to depend on him.

When Garv opened the doors to the GASP building, Xibtrae half expected something to jump out at them. Something like that shadow thing she saw the other night. But no. No, there was nothing of the sort. There was darkness--an endless hall of darkness, but beyond that? Nothing . . .

Before she knew it, Ryuku was with them again, asking if they'd need for a light--a lantern? A torch? Xibtrae had no idea what kind of light he was getting at, but she didn't see that he had one on his person.

"Hath thou the means?" Xibtrae asked with the utmost inquisition.

She had no doubt that she could--with Val's help, that is. But Ryuku? What means did he have to light up a room? Just as much as Ryuku was interested in Xibtrae's particular talents, she was interested in his.

[Zach Kaiser]

Garv stepped into the building without hesitation. While he was quite comfortable in the shadows, he needed some light if he was going to actively search the area. "I brought a lantern, but if you got a better way, by all means," he replied, gesturing for the two to follow him into the room.

While it was tough to see anything right now, the entrance hall was a fairly big place. It clearly went up more than one story, deeper darkness indicated hallways extending from it in every direction. An unoccupied desk was the only thing of note currently visible, no doubt where visitors were once greeted.