Taming the Flame IC [Taming The Flame]

[Manoneno1]

"Days..?!", he thought outloud with wide eyes, hoping to be not too loud. "That must've been a bad crash...", he murmured with an uneasy smile, looking slightly other way in shame. "How long exactly...?", he asked with a careful tone, like he was hiding some tone from his voice. He stumbled to lean on his elbows, shooting a small glance to the cot: 'Somebody else needed this more...', he thought, uneasy frown slipping to his face. He loathed the fact that he used important bandages for days: he knew he would've survived with some leaves. He couldn't use the real feelings for a long time as he had to give a nod for her question, faking a neutral look to his face but looking slightly away: it was impossible to him to manage the looks of his eyes, they always reflected his true mood, which was far away from neutral or okay. The help made him took a quick small breath: more help was on the way. But he felt in his legs how long it was since he walked, and he surrended for her help.


He fixed a small smile to his lips as Soph'ana made a joke of him injuring himself, it turning into small anxious pout and a scold down as she wasn't looking: it sounded like a warning, or underestimating even he knew it was a pure joke. He had a joke back which would ease the mood, but he kept his mouth in a tight shut in case his tone would sound bitter or sad.


"You... You read this?", he asked, understanding soon how silly it sounded. "I mean, I guess you did but... Reading other people's journals isn't the most approved thing to do", he commented with a small grin. "Just saying, I'm okay with that. I'm clad you liked it, I can explain to you while I'm searching them."


Then, he headed to the captain. "Sir, I'd like to help by gathering medical herbs. I'm experted in herbal treatments without magic, so I can use the things I find instantly. I'm Miderenm, this is my apprentince Soph'ana", he introduced, glancing Soph'ana if she was okay about the term 'apprentince'

 

[Ayl]

Keeping an expresionless face on the entire time the prisoner said her piece, Sebastian nodded understandingly at the woman's brief explanation of the events occured on the ship, but not even his calm could keep him from raising a brow once an assassination attempt on the Mjulnir Chieftain was mentioned. "Seems like quite the story, but I understand your reluctance. I wouldn't be so quick to share my country's secrets so easily to a stranger myself. We shall leave it at that. I trust your reasons are sound enough."


As he rose from the barrel he used for a chair, Sebastian took the keychain and started seeking the one that'd fit the lock that kept the small-framed woman secure. Warned by the girl about her intentions regarding the Sharian she had fought before, Sebastian smirked, as a loud CLICK was heard in the brig's hall. "As I've said before, your reasons are your own. You are free to pursue whomever you wish. But please," he asked "try and not carve someone else in the process. It'll look bad.". Stepping aside, the Admiral turned his back to the woman, expecting her to follow him. "Don't strain yourself, we're not gonna leave without you. You should have someone look at that leg before we move, though!" he said, before exiting the premises.


The sun's warm rays were falling down on the bustling ship. It was past noon, yet the ball of light refused to let its power wane any bit. Right now, the ship was being frequented mostly by the crew, each of them trying to repair or salvage as much as they could. Stepping onto the deck from under it, Sebastian was quickly approached by someone that was clearly a Duender, yet his figure was unknown to him.


"Sir, I'd like to help by gathering medical herbs. I'm experted in herbal treatments without magic, so I can use the things I find instantly. I'm Miderenm, this is my apprentince Soph'ana".


While most Duenders had a very attractive appearance, this one looked most unusual. Followed closely by a young girl, who Sebastian could only assume was the mentioned Soph'ana, a Duender herself. Unlike the one who called himself Miderenm, Soph'ana was a true Duender. Her skin was pure and white as milk, her eyes colorful and filled with hope, although with a shade of sadness. Sebastian hated the thought of such a child be endangered, but somehow, he got the feeling that she could more than look after herself. Facing the Duender, Sebastian extended his hand, in a courteous greeting, between men, for Miderenm to shake.


"Very well," the Admiral spoke. "Glad to have you, Miderenm and Soph'ana! You should get ready, the exploration party is preparing to depart as we speak. Go find my First Mate, Johsan. He will set you up. I will be there shortly!". With a quick nod, the Admiral left the pair behind, his blue cloak waving in the wind as he walked down the planks to the ground. But right before stepping off the deck definitely, he remembered something and turned his gaze towards the alleged alchemist. "Oh, one more thing. There is a Mjulnir woman, injured. She should be heading up any minute now. Would you take a look at her before joinning us? I'd be very grateful.".


Assigning orders to the men around him, Sebastian made his way towards the shipwright, who was standing on the sand, drawing schemes with a charcoal piece on linen paper. "How bad is it?" Sebastian asked. "She's definitely seen better days, but there's nothing I can't fix. But it will take me a few days. And more lumber. I'll have the lads carve up some trees when the heat dulls down.".


"Very well, that gives us enough time to give a good search of the area. May your work be swift and masterful!". At the cheer, the shipwright smirked, chuckled and replied: "All my works are masterful, my Admiral! Good hunting!". That being done, Sebastian paced towards the gathering group of volunteering explorators. Among the crowd, he spotted Sheut, the Sharian who claimed royalty. With a quick motion of his head, Sebastian saluted him, as he made his way towards Johsan, who was now directing orders to the folks gathered around him.


"...and last of all, do not, under any circumstances, stray away from the main grou-"


"Johsan, I think they got it. Why don't you take a break? I'll take over!"


"Y-Yes, Admiral! As you wish!". As Johsan walked away, Sebastian was now in the centre of attention. "First of all, let me thank you all for your bravery. I know it is not easy, but we will do our best to get you to safety. Of that, I promise you. Now, we will head out at dawn. Everybody get some sleep. It will be a long trek, so we'd all better rest.". With that being said, the group slowly dispersed, most of them going to their loved ones or friends, to spend the remainning time in their comfort. Sebastian himself headed towards the barrels that were put together as a makeshift table to hold the strategic map he drew. He needed to make sure his strategy for tomorrow was sure, before endangering the life of all those people. After all, it is best to be safe than sorry!

 

[Naxtaroth]

Sheut glanced around the beach, taking note of the various people. At one point, the Captain had saluted him. He gave the appropriate response back. During this time, he found himself stealing glances at the feline Sharian, Brae. He was not as careful as usual, and 9 times out of 10 she noticed him. He silently cursed himself for being so careless. On one glance, he noticed the woman speaking with Jenesari. Sheut tensed and looked away. He was still in shock from when the pup had lunged at him on the ship. He knew it was his own fault, he just couldn't shake the fact that the crazed look in the boy's eye had actually struck fear into him.


Sheut sat there pondering for what seemed like an eternity before he decided to make his way over to the boy. He was going to tell Jenesari the truth. He couldn't afford to have another incident like on the ship. He padded across the sand, nerves tense, jaw set. He took a minute to calm down a bit so that the boy would not sense the tension and think Sheut was a threat. He waited for a pause in the conversation before he cleared his throat to get the attention of the group of Sharians.


"Um... hey... Jenesari, I... Zevran, she... my father... Revived... I'm sorry"





He choked on the words, not making any sense, and looked down at the boy. He lowered himself to the ground and, hoping the submissive position would show some sincerity, tried to explain.





"I did lie when I said the last time I saw Zevran was in the forest, but I'm not the one who killed her. Her wounds came open while we were hunting and I had to carry her back. That's the only reason her blood was on me. The last time I saw her... my father... he... he was supposed to be dead... he was at the docks... Revived... he..."





Sheut could hardly continue. He stared at the sand in front of him, not daring to make eye contact with Jenesari.





"He threw a body to the ground. It had tan fur. It was so broken and bloody that I couldn't even recognize it. Then he... Zevran's staff... he had her staff... He broke it over his knee and dropped it on top of the body. Even a fool could connect the dots here... I'm sorry I didnt tell you, I just knew how much she meant to you... I didn't want to be the one to tell you... but then on the ship when I realized you thought I killed her... and then you lunged... and I cannot tell you how glad I am the ship lurched, because I never wanted to kill you. I was just acting in self defense..."





He glanced up to meet the gaze of the boy, hoping he would not see the same crazed gleam. His swords were on the ground behind him and he was not in a maneuverable position to retrieve them quickly. If the boy attacked now with the same ferocity, Sheut wouldn't be able to defend himself.

 

[The Lady Kitsunerisu]

Jenesari had been surprised at the sudden approach of the feline Sharian; but he didn't feel threatened of her. She wasn't an alpha in any sense of the word, so there wasn't really any use in feeling threatened by her. She was even smaller than himself, which he found a little amusing. Though he probably would have found it a gateway into making friends with her if his entire being felt sick with grief. Instead of giving her a friendly look, like he normally would, he stared at her with eyes that would have looked bruised had it not been for the fur. His entire demeanor was sickly looking. He was underfed, he was lacking in sleep, and he had lost someone close to him. He didn't make much effort to be friendly, but he wasn't making an effort to be intimidating.


"I....don't think I am...doing...well.." he kept pausing in his speech. Almost like it was a chore to actually push air out of his lungs to form words. He brought his hand up to his forearm slowly and wrapped his disproportionate hand around it. "I don't really know what to do...with myself," his hand clenched around his forearm momentarily before relaxing again. He saw that the feline had been about to make another comment when Sheut began speaking to him directly. At first he greatly confused the small Sharian, but as he slowly began to make more sense in his words. The more sense he made the more still Jenesari grew, the more his gaze grew cold, and the more shallow his breath got. There was truth to his words; but Jenesari couldn't forgive him having lied to him to begin with.


Jenesari did not move back when Sheut got down to his level, and instead felt just the slightest bit insulted. A small snarl came to curl his upper lip and he shook his head before turning and walking away. Where he ended up was the group that would be going into the forest to search for things. He wouldn't have fought Sheut if he had come to talk with him more, but he also wasn't going to instigate it. Jenesari had a very acute sense of anger towards the Jackal. He did look back at the feline, however, giving her a look that told her that he was fully ready to talk with her when she had time, but Sheut was not offered the same courtesy. Then his gaze went to the large-fanged Sharian.


"Are you okay?" he asked.


Jenesari simply nodded and waited to be told what to do. He wanted to do something. If he was left with his own mind for too long...bad things happened.

 

[Pequeno Burraidh]

Brae had nearly leapt up a tree when Sheut spoke. She'd been so intent on speaking to Jenessari, trying to make an ally that couldn't simply carry her away if they went crazy or throw her off a cliff or any other paranoia driven silly thoughts, that she hadn't even heard him approach. His words, and actions, put Jen in what quickly seemed to become a foul mood, setting Brae's fur on end as her right hand-paw drifted along her side, carefully feeling for her crossbow's grip, should something happen.


Thankfully things seemed a lot more calm than last time, though that probably had a lot to do with how ragged and beat down the young Sharian looked. Going against her nature, Brae interposed herself between the Vulpine and Jackal Sharians, her back to the larger Sheut, while smiling kindly at Jen, able to fully imagine what it was like to lose a parental figure.


Reaching into her bag, Brae produced a coconut and offered it to Jen before looking up at the equally imposing large fanged Sharian Jen was with and spoke.


"I gathered a number of these from the trees. It's simple for me, I'm adept at climbing, so I've no problem sharing. Why don't we all sit and rest for a time until the group head's out?"


She could only hope that it would diffuse the situation, and that seemed like it would be best for Jen right now.

 

[Jays]

Day turned to dusk turned to night turned to fiery camp sites on the rocky beach of the island, the sun at last gave in its reign to the weary darkness of a foreign shore, so alluring with the promise of false security and yet at the same time smelt of imminent danger, the constant tension of the camp's inhibitants hanging thick in the air like a physical force, weighing down hearts and closing up souls. Groups of dozen each surrounded the few crackling campfires, faces solemn and on edge. Conversations were subdued and quiet, as if all were afraid a loud word would break open the oppressing tightness in the air for whatever was waiting to come through, and the memory of the desolation of Shan Man'rir had yet given up hauting the poor souls who had escaped with their life if not their peace of mind. Food and fresh water was scarce, as was hope and optimism.


It was the atmosphere of a desperate army going to war.


Raicus was not immune, regardless of how much horror his eyes had witness across the realms, not least watching a living legend withered to a living despair. As the war veterans he had met had always told him, it never get easier watching death claim its due, worse if it was one's own hand delivering the finish. He tried his best not to remember the lone Sharian figure at the end of dock, gruesome, sad and beautiful amongst fire and blood, and so of course he did, over and over until the memory started to lose its edges, it cutting not less but leaving ragged wounds that stung and burnt with self-inflicting guilt and helplessness. His friend, his only friend, gone. The pain might lessen with time but that sense of lost would not, clinging to his already heavy heart, a constant reminder of the price of failure.


Raicus sat amongst the survivers around one campfire, silently cleaning and sharpening his sword and tools, staring unblinkingly into the dancing flame where claws flashed and men fell. steel slicing and blood flowing, where cries of despair rose into the heaven and the soft voice of a man echoed from far, far away.

 

[Stickdom]

Soph's heart leaped a little, and she nodded at the word "apprentice". Even if she was frightened half to death with the prospect of whatever lay ahead of them on this apparently deserted island, the fact that Miderenm would be there eased her thoughts into a sense of security, however false. He one of the last familiarities of her life before the attack, the doll that was Finn had been disturbingly silent and motionless for many days now, and inwardly, Soph was growing rather desperate. But she could not let it affect her spirits, or she knew that a downward spiral of emotion and depression would be fatal for certain.


Looking up towards Sebastian, the captain was an intimidating man, to say the least. But, to have brought a group of such size out of the hellhole slaughter that had been only a few days past showed his mettle as an adept leader. He reminded Soph not of the Duender leaders she had come in contact with through her life in her own capital. They were more cold and shrewd, she always thought many of them brooding old men with clammy wringing hands, or else young and headstrong bulls with no thought for gain but their own. This man was different somehow, his persona was one to be obeyed and feared, but also admired and respected.


As she stared on, she found herself bowing to him in Duender fashion, a small hand clasped over her heart as she said "I'll do whatever I can to be of use, sir. I can fight and have some healing skill at my use. Miderenm has saved my life over many instances, and now I would like to serve others as he has done." She raised herself again, proud of her courage at this point. The Soph'ana of her homely days would have possibly cowered at the sight of an imposing officer as this, now she was instilled with confidence in her own abilities. She stepped back behind Miderenm, allowing him to take command of the conversation. She was now his student, and she would simply listen and obey his instruction when the time came, and be useful and available until that time came that she could restore her sister's life to her. This was merely a stepping stone to that goal, and she was determined to survive all that was ahead.

 

[Manoneno1]

With a small appreciating bow and a low nod, he thanked the captain for his kind words and shook his hand. "Very well, we will do the best we can", he ended the conversation. He had lots of burden on his back, but the one with such title is ready to take the responsibility of many people's lives.


"Fortunately I have already something to--", he started his discussion as he turned towards Soph'ana, but he stopped his sentence as Soph seemed to spot his concentration towards the captain and so did he too. He hoped that she understands to be his ears sometimes without pointing out, it felt better to him to just do a silent deal than ask her such a thing, when it comes to something related with his deafness.


"Oh, of course", he answered with a small bow of his head once again and continued his walking as he made sure the captain had nothing else to say. "I wonder if it is the same Mjulnir I helped.. There were few Mjulnirs to my knowledge. Mha leg was badly injured, I doubt mha would be able to escape if necessary..", he explained to Soph'ana and shrugged. "Mjulnirs are stubborn people. I hope mha will understand it's best for mha."


Soon he saw a wide big word on the sand: 'EXPLORERS' and a few people gathered next to it, including a leading man who he thought to be Johsan. He sat with the others to wait the instructions to begin, curious when the Mjulnir woman would show up. The leading man started to spell out some encouraging words before telling their mission and rules for safety. He listened carefully, small concern in his head if something has happened to her.


After a while he saw a familiar Mjulnir woman limping towards the meeting, seeming to need some help. However, he kept still. The Mjulnir looked like one who was too proud to take help like that and he had to take a close eye on what Johsan was saying. He looked the woman a few times, but putting his whole concentration on Johsan as he received a weird look from her.


He guessed that it wasn't wise to start exploring yet, and he was happy that he has a good time to treat the woman and try to speak her to stay in the camp. As people started to retreat from their places, Miderenm approached the woman. "Excuse me..", he spelled out with a small pull of her cloth. "I'm Miderenm, I treated you after your brave actions how is your leg and side?", he asked friendly, gazing it. It was clumsily tied and needed new binds. He could've made new binds out of hemp and wood, but it would take too much time so he just hoped there would be left some bindings, or even clothing.


Due to complex accent, he took a sharp watch to her mouth.


//Still continuing for a bit

 

[Naxtaroth]

Sheut laid down to take a nap before the exploration group was to head out. He couldn’t very well be at the front of th group and be effective if he wasn’t on alert. He needed at least a little rest.

Spoiler

Shan’Manrir. Fire. Smoke. A familiar alley. Sheut glanced around, his senses on full alert. A hooded woman ran towards him, a sack over her shoulder. He couldn’t find his swords and he was in the middle of the alley. The figure would surely notice him and Sheut was defenseless. He braced himself for confrontation, but the figure did not slow. She was going to ram into him full force. Sheut dug his heels into the stone beneath him, closed his eyes, and prepared for impact, . . . but there was no impact. The woman ran right through him as if he didn’t exist. Sheut turned around and watched the woman slow, then turn into an alcove in the wall of the alley. He followed her and froze. The door. The sunken-eyed man. Sheut just sat and watched as he saw the door close behind the woman. It was starting to disappear before Sheut ran towards it, somehow passing through.


He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that his suspicions were confirmed. The room from the memory stone. Somehow, this door was a passageway between the alley in Shan’Manrir and the royal palace in Chamorest. As soon as Sheut thought the dread couldn’t get more intense, he saw the woman lower her hood and empty the contents of the sack onto the table. Pakhta. Apophis. Pure ice ran through Sheut’s veins as he realized he dropped Apophis while escaping the city and that he never actually checked to see if Pakhta was dead. He just saw her unconscious and assumed. As Sheut tried to piece this all together, an all too familiar voice came from right beside him.


“Pakhta, why do you bring me a dead cobra? You know that we do not waste our resources on lesser creatures.”


“This is not an ordinary cobra, Anrak, sir. This was, I believe, your son’s pet. Apophis, I think it was?”


Sheut looked at his father and saw a cruel grin, almost as malevolent as the one before snapping Zevran’s staff.


“This is an excellent surprise indeed. I will go get the supplies.”


Sheut watched in horror as Apophis was ceremoniously laid across a stone table. Amethysts were spread out in a strange, arcane pattern. He watched as Paktha muttered in a strange, guttural language before she cut into her palm and dripped blood on the gems. A rune glowed and the light encompassed Apophis. Moments later, he saw his friend move. The mutilated, rotting cobra writhed and hissed. It looked directly at Sheut and he stared back into the gaze of a monster. This wasn’t Apophis. There was an unnatural glow, a primal rage that Sheut had never seen.





“Come.”


Apophis slithered off the table and onto Anrak’s arm. He coiled up around his shoulders and sat there just as he had done with Sheut many times. Enraged, Sheut tired to rush forward, but his limbs felt like they were submerged in water. His movements were clumsy and slow. Then everything went black and he heard the sounds of waves crashing.





Sheut opened his eyes and found himself back on the beach with all the survivors. He was drenched in sweat, his fur a matted mess. Sand clung to him no matter how hard he tried to shake it off. He saw that where he was on the beach was practically deserted and glanced over to see a group forming around the Captain. It was time, he knew. He made his way over, alert and twitchy. He about sliced into a tree when a coconut dropped on the ground beside him. He would have to get his nerves together before the exploring started. He wouldn't want to cut into some poor guy for surprising him with a sneeze or a cough. He made his way to the Captain, hoping he wasn't terribly late.


“Sorry, sir. I was getting some rest. I hope my nap did not delay us any.”

 

[The Lady Kitsunerisu]

Jenesari looked towards the feline Sharian, then to Shuet as he walked away, seemingly ignoring her as she offered coconuts. He let out a frustrated growl, taking measures to ensure that the growl wasn't intended for the feline, before turning towards her and taking the coconut. He looked at it oddly, having never seen one before. He slowly turned it in his hands, causing the coconut to slush around with unknown liquid. Jenesari, apprehensively, brought the coconut up to his little black nose to sniff it and jerked his head back at the unwelcome smell of coconut.


"What is this icky smelling thing," he said. His voice and face were filled with disgust. He ceased his whining when he saw that the Feline was most likely getting skittish again. "I'm sorry. I've just never seen these things again, how do I eat one?" He asked, looking back down again. With logical reasoning hew as sure that it would be as simple as biting into the rock hard, furry casing of the coconut. He gave a thought to breaking it to get at was was within, but that seemed like most of the innards would splash onto the sand...just like Zevran's probably splashed onto the ground...


Jenesari began to shake as his vision began to cloud with tears. He turned his head angrily so that she wouldn't see them. He looked up to his companion, the saber-toothed Sharian, and then walked forward and buried his face into the soft fur of the larger Sharian's leg. The large paw of the Saber went to the lad's head and petted it in some form of comfort. The larger Sharian looked apologetically to the feline for the boys behavior and took the coconut from the boy's shaking hands and handed it back to her.


"Please stay here," his deep rumbling voice asked of her, "he simply needs a few minutes to recover himself, then we can teach him how to eat a coconut," he gave her a small grin before picking the boy up. He cradled his head to his shoulder and began humming to soothe the boys nerves. All the while he stared bullets into Shuet's worthless carcass.