Fantasy For my Family

[Cyrionessa]

"...I'm in agreement with this." Cerys nodded happily. She was grateful for the interruption in this angry back and forth argument. Now, there were two people on her side, making it three against one. It meant that she no longer had to bring Jaeger with her and could go find Ryrax exactly as she planned. It wasn't like she was going to ignore any attempts to make her go back...


----


The cat found itself ducking in and out of halls, racing wildly away in an attempt to get away from the lunatic. His previous mission was completely forgotten now. The guy had to be insane! When the cat looked behind him while racing through another door, it suddenly found its face buried in the back of someone with white hair. It looked up at the person, noticing that it was a woman with white hair. He immediately scurried around to look imploringly up at the woman while quaking in fear. Sun was perfectly aware of the rather pathetic picture he was making right now.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Well I'm not. You say that you'll head back before anything gets too dangerous, yet apparently the one you're searching for is not too dangerous to warrant her staying behind and letting herself heal. She nearly died when she was in demon-cat form, and I'm supposed to believe that she'll be just fine searching after that same being in her current state?"


---------------------------


The young woman looked down confusion at the young 'cat', and tilted her head slightly


"Frome whence did you come little being?"


Valk didn't even flinch. Wherever his mind was, it was not on the material world

 

[Cyrionessa]

"Meow!" The cat's adorable, scared eyes looked up at her as he put his front paws up on her legs. His head rubbed against on of her arms, the area which it touched glowing slightly for a moment before fading. It crawled up farther so that he could curl in a ball up on her slanted legs. Sun was still shaking a little bit but he settled down, allowing the warmth from his light core spread outwards a bit.

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia was silent for a moment, then sighed. "That 'same being' once told me about his first encounter with you. He spoke of watching from a distance as a young boy went head-to-head with an A-class fell one, absolutely berserk with rage and power. Your adopted clan, the Xevrens, could not get anywhere close to you until you passed out. You would have killed many of them before they would've gotten through to you."


She smiled sadly. "How would you have felt, if once you'd woken up, your sister had not been there? What if you were all alone in the wilderness, for days, in an effort to protect others from yourself? Would you not feel alone? Wouldn't you feel touched to know that those around you wanted you back, even if it was dangerous?" She asked rhetorically. "Ryrax needs our help to save him from himself. I cannot tell you why he is like this, but I do not believe it to be his fault...and also, I am close to being able to cure him of the darkness that accosted you and Cerys that night. Of course, to do so requires Ryrax to be here, with us. So quit arguing and either come with us or get out of the way."


Mythia let the words hang in the air before sighed again. "Can you not imagine what Ryrax must be going through right now? His parting words...the emotion behind them...he's scared, Jaeger. Something I cannot recall ever seeing him experience. He cannot save himself. He needs our aid."


--------------


The door veritably exploded as Oliver burst into the room. "AHA! There you are!" he said as he charged in. "Finally, I have- Oh, shit!" He exclaimed as he realized his charge had him on a collision course with Valk and his mother. He did not have time to break; rather, he leapt into the air, the momentum carrying the man with an unfortunate amount of zeal over their heads and out the window, sailing off the balcony and plummeting six stories to the ground. Anyone else would likely have been killed by the fall, but common knowledge dictated that Oliver would barely be bruised.

 

[Ixidor92]

Jager stiffened instantly. His eyes narrowing into slits.


"Do not speak of occurrences of which you know NOTHING!"


The last word was spoken with such force the room shook physically from the force


"What happened that night was for Sarisa, and Sarisa alone. Don't you even THINK of comparing me to someone who transforms only to destroy others. He has threatened my family on multiple occasions. He has personally threatened my sister. He has physically injured Cerys and myself. I see no reason to help such a creature. And I see no reason to let Cerys walk right back into the gates of hell when she was so nearly plucked from them. You want to go and help that being? Fine. I can't stop you, but SHE. STAYS. HERE."

 

[Cyrionessa]

At the sight of Oliver, the cat jumped off with a terrified whimper and ran towards the large fluffy pillow that was laying on a tatami mat on the floor. He was not going to lay on the pillow; He was hiding its tiny body behind it. Sun poked his luminescent head out from behind when he heard the noise disappear. "....meow?"


Oliver was obviously gone and Sun was left alone with the two white-haired people again. He cautiously sniffed his way forward till he reached the meditating creature. He cocked his head to the side; such focus! Then he noticed the all-too-perfect spot on the person's lap. Internally, the logic of "if it fits, I sits" came into play and Sun jumped up the curl up in the lap of the person. He wasn't actually aware that this was the white-haired person that was in his maker's memory. Sun knew him more by voice than sight or smell.

 

[Twizinator]

This time is was Mythia's turn to narrow her eyes. "I see. He exists only to destroy others, then." Her right arm twitched, as if she wanted to smack Jaeger across the face, but held herself in check, closing her eyes briefly. "YOU are the one who knows nothing, Jaeger. Worse, you don't even try to understand. Enough. We're leaving, and you are not stopping us. In fact, you aren't even awake," she said with commanding words, her psyonically enhanced so that Jaeger was put to sleep in seconds.


Mythia turned to Cerys with a smile. "We should go. Jaeger has a powerful will; that won't keep him off our backs for more than two minutes at best," she said and strode quickly out the door.


Silia followed eagerly, awestruck at what had just happened. "I, ah, don't mean to sound rude, but just who are you?" she asked.


Mythia just laughed. "A friend of Ryrax. You?"


Silia smiled. "Same." She looked behind her. "C'mon Cerys, we have a lost wolf to find!"

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys nodded her head and started walking out the door. Coran looked from Mythia, to Jaeger out cold on the floor, then back to Mythia. He put up his hands in surrender and consoled himself by moving the unconscious form of Jaeger from the floor to the bed Cerys had been occupying. "....do me a favor and don't get banged up this time?" He asked, a hopeless expression of his resigned fate on his face.


"I'll try." Cerys' eyes were back to be filled with determination and she limped at a decent pace towards the forest.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk was deep within his own subconscious, feeling nothing but his own body. The comforting presence of his mother lay behind him, mana pouring from her into his system. He was focused entirely on his own circuits, and the broken connections that lay. He was not trying to force his way through the blocked connections, but was rather forging new ones. It would not replace what he had lost immediately, but it would help him utilize more mana than he could currently. A small spark moved its way between two circuits, the beginnings of a new channel . . . when his senses were disturbed by contact with another warmth. Valk slowly opened his eyes--and was greeted by a small construction of mana on his lap.


"Where did YOU come from?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

"Meow!" Reacting to his voice, Sun realized what lap he had hopped on. Valk Trevastos. He looked up curiously, sniffing the man's arms first. Then his curious nose sniffed Valk's chin. The Sun licked the chin out of habit because Sun was a friendly kitty cat. He did this while cocking his head to the side and balancing his paws against Valk's chest. "Meow...?"

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk raised up his chin suddenly.


"Thank you mother . . . it looks like I won't be making any more progress today."


The woman only smiled before walking out, shutting the door behind her


"What are you creature?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

".....Meow." The cat also raised his chin, showing off the collar. The flip side of the tag, which Oliver hadn't noticed, read "Estelle." He actually was a bit nervous, showing that he was a creation of Estelle. So he put on the most adorable look that he could that spelled out perfectly "please don't kill me."

 

[Twizinator]

As Mythia led the way, Silia slunk back and put herself under one of Cerys' arms, supporting her. "You don't look so intimidating when you're limping, you know," she teased with a friendly smile. They exited the Neutral Grounds, reaching the edge of the forest shortly. As they entered, Mythia spoke over her shoulder. "Here's where I definitely need you, Cerys. I hope your heightened senses can pick up Ryrax's scent."

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk narrowed his eyes when he noticed the name on the collar. His expression was unreadable as he picked up the cat by its collar, walked over to the door, dropped it outside, and shut the door

 

[Cyrionessa]

The cat smirked. Shutting a door did not keep him out. Sun's body slipped underneath the door by flattening as it went through. Sighing, he decided to drop the cat talk. "If you're done acting like a child, maybe we can talk. My mistress has been searching for a way to help you. It is her hope that perhaps she can undo what has been done."


----


Cerys sighed and took a deep sniff inwards. "....northwest-ish. Pretty deep in the woods and on the move probably since it keeps getting fainter...." Another sigh was exhaled. "Normally, I'd go Demon Cat Stage One to help things out....but I don't think he wants to see the Demon Cat."

 

[Ixidor92]

"If she is going to regret her actions, then perhaps she should not have taken them in the first place."


Valk sat down and crossed his legs over


"I will pass through this myself."

 

[Twizinator]

"Hmm. I agree," Mythia nodded. "Well, nowhere to go but up. I suppose."


The ground beneath the three ladies shifted and rose into rough square blocks of earth, large enough to comfortably stand or sit on. Mythia lowered herself to let her legs dangle over the edge of her block, resting back on her hands. "Don't fall off," she said as the blocks rose above the tree line and began drifting in a northwestern direction, about twice the speed of walking.


"Woah!" Silia exclaimed as she crouched on her block, wide-eyed and widely smiling as she looked around the forest around her. "Hahaaa! This'll be fun."


-----------


"May I ask *grunt* who you're talking to?" Oliver inquired loudly as he clambered over the edge of the balcony, a satisfied look when he finally planted his feet on the floor. Would it have been easier to go through the estate? Yes. Did that matter to Oliver? Not at all. He would rather take the challenge of the direct route, up the wall six stories and over the balcony ledge.

 

[Cyrionessa]

"....your lack of understanding of why she took such action is amusing." Sun licked his paw and used it to wash his face. "And your lack of regret for your own actions is disturbing." The cat moved around to sit in front of Valk, staring up at him thoughtfully. "You didn't see her face when she surveyed that poor Vejta girl's injuries. She's seen damage much worse than that. But the fact that you wantonly removed a person's ability to use her mana to the fullest potential and took away feeling in her extremities? Estelle lost it with good reason." Sun then noticed Oliver. "He's talking to me, Mister. And this is not a conversation for your ears."


----


Cerys collapsed down on the rock and stayed there. "...okay, Jaeger may have been slightly right, but don't tell him I said that."

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia laughed at Cerys' remark and let the wind play with her long hair as they drifted further and further from the Neutral Grounds. They traveled for nearly half an hour before Mythia spoke up. "I can tell we're getting closer," she said as her words caused white mist to puff from her mouth. "Can you feel the chill in the air? This is definitely his doing."


"What do you mean?" Silia asked, rubbing her hands together to warm them up. "Can Ryrax control the weather?"


"No. Well, he can influence it," Mythia explained. She detailed Ryrax's control of ice to Silia, who listened intently. "So you see, the colder it gets, the closer we are."


"In that case, shouldn't we go there?" Silia said, pointing ahead. Not too far from their location was a clearing with a pond, and as they neared they could see that the water's surface was slowly freezing over. Without another word, The earthen cubes sped up and landed outside of the clearing, still well inside the forest.


"He must be at the water," Mythia noted, a little excitement in her voice as she dismounted her cube. Silia did the same, the blocks collapsing into dirt mounds behind them.


----------------------


"I am not so sure," Oliver retorted, wagging a finger at the cat with a smile on his face. "Valk and I are family, and I consider us rather close! What could you be discussing that would dismiss such tight bonds of brotherhood?" He paused. "Marriage, perhaps?" he suggested jokingly.

 

[Ixidor92]

"We are discussing nothing, because I have nothing to say to you or your creator."


Valk closed his eyes and started to focus again


"Now if you'll excuse me, I was beginning to make some progress."


------------------------------------


"I swear to god if I have to drag her back home ONE MORE TIME--"


Jaeger was flying over the same forest Mythia and company had passed before. The man he had awoken up to had been shaken at his rage to say the least. He had had some time to cool down as he continued flight, but that did not mean he was going to back down. Cerys had no business being out this far in her current state. Especially if she was purposefully looking for that beast of a man

 

[Cyrionessa]

"You want your power back to its full potential without it taking years? You may want to stop acting like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum because he didn't get his way. You know why Estelle didn't just kill you? She could've done that easily with that attack that's fueled by her own life force." Sun ignored Oliver, focusing intently on Valk. "It's not you as a person that she wanted to stop; she knew that one day you'd be one of the top guns most likely and your disregard for those of lower power was saddening. She reduced you to a lower level to remind you that you once were also just as weak as the girl that your literally fried for no good reason. Right now, so many people could do the same thing to you that you did to her. Are you even capable of feeling sorry for that girl? She had a bright future; she had all the tools to become a good fighter. Now, she has to have people tell her when things are hot so that she doesn't burn herself without realizing it by picking up a bowl that's too hot! Now, her mana circuit is fused in a way that even my mistress may not be able to fix and Estelle is second to none in her healing techniques. You have a chance to get your power back, Valk; the Vejta girl, her name was Evynne by the way, will never have that chance. And it's because of you."


----


Cerys gathered her grit to keep moving. This was important to her and she was going to look as strong and healthy as possible when she saw him again. There were still bandages on different areas of her body but she was doing her best to conceal them beneath her clothing. The limp became less pronounced as she clenched her teeth against the pain of walking.

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia led the others to the edge of the clearing, breaking the treeline. She scanned the area but Ryrax was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the pond was continuing to freeze, ice slowly spreading from the center outwards. Furtively, Mythia advanced towards the water's edge. As she reached it, the ice reached the bank. "Hmm...The whole pond's turned to ice but I don't see him anywhere...Do you smell him, Cerys?" She asked. "Wait...hold that thought..." She moved to a bed of reeds and reached in. Once she straightened up she was holding Ryrax's longcoat and pants. "...Ah..." She said, realizing what this meant. "Did we come at a bad time?" She said jokingly to the other two women.


Suddenly, the pond burst into life. Jagged spikes of ice sprouted violently from its surface, appearing randomly all over the pond. They dotted its surface, one by one, their spawn rate increasing, the delay between spikes lessening. Then, the groaning and cracking of ice heralded the arrival of...something from deep below. The middle of the pond blasted upwards and outwards, a hole forming where the murky water, that had before been covered, could now be seen. From its depths a human's arm shot forth, throwing itself over the ice. Then the other arm, and the apparently nude form of Ryrax hoisted his torso up and out of the water. As he gasped for air, taking in deep gulps of oxygen for his lungs, it could be seen that his eyepatch was not on. "Dammit!" he cursed, swiping his hand over his eye to summon the patch, "Still can't control it for more than five f***ing minutes... Pathetic." He pulled the rest of himself out of the water, and he was thankfully wearing a pair of boxers to cover himself. As he caught his breath and calmed down, he lay sprawled on his back, unbothered by the ice that held him. His muscular abdomen and chest heaved as he sucked in air. His whole body glistened with water from the pond, and his hair was all over the place.


Silia could barely believe her eyes, and immediately blushed at the sight before her. "Er...Should we wait for him to get dressed, or...?" she said hesitantly to Cerys, totally unprepared for a barely-clothed man to burst out of a frozen body of water.


------------


Oliver leaned against the wall, cross-armed and listening silently to their conversation. Honestly, he felt that the construct was wasting its time; Valk had never been the type to accept help from anyone. He'd always relied on his own power, doing everything himself. Still, that isn't to say that Oliver disagreed. He'd always been worried that Valk's arrogance would be his undoing, and...well, it was. At least it hadn't gotten him killed. Yet.

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Odom fell backwards from his perch on a tree branch, catching himself by the knees and swaying. A piece of jerky hung from his mouth. "The only one sitting down is you. Even the sun's off his keister." He let himself fall, tucking his knees beneath himself and landing on his toes. "The ground moves with ever more speed. The outpost will be upon us soon, I think."


-----


Rudd stared blankly over his bowl of gruel before pointing to his own chest. Swallowing, he managed to sputter, "Me?"

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk opened his eyes back up to the construct. Strangely enough, there wasn't any anger, annoyance, or even what one could call a negative emotion. He was calm.


"I said--"


He stood up and grabbed the construct's collar again


"--I have nothing to discuss with you or your creator."


He dropped the creature out of his door and shut it again


"I would ask you do not make me do this a third time."


The man sat back down and closed his eyes again


"Oliver, I would like some time to myself, if you wouldn't mind."


------------------------------------


Aatron shook his head at Odom's antics. You'd think he could keep track of just one man . . .


"That's the plan, hopefully we can find what's amiss."


------------------------------------


"If you are Rudd, then yes. Valk Trevastos asked for your presence by name."

 

[Cyrionessa]

The cat sniffed for a moment. Sun shrugged and zig-zagged his way out of the estate. It was time to go look for more fun that didn't involve brooding Trevastos or insane people. A familiar scent hit him on the wind. It had to be Cerys. The cat began to run towards the scent, deep into the forest, not really caring that he was heading into dangerous territory.


----


Cerys raised an eyebrow at the girl. "....you strike me as either innocent or naive. And no, we don't have to wait for him to put something on. I could care less." Her eyes turned on Mythia. "Okay. Tell me how you want to approach this."