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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 2, 2009 14:16:43 GMT -5
Perhaps it was his lean figure that allowed Kyr to slip in and out of the increasingly deeping fog with ease, or it could have been that the fog rejected the out of place desert dweller. Either way, the only shapes that Kyr could make out was the gross outline of the dock, the ground under him, and--vaguely--the thick forest behind him. The fog played tricks on his unaccustomed eyes, causing him to think to see another person or some kind of animal moving around or seeing inanimate objects move. It was this quality of illusion that had made the fog fascinating to Kyr, because even though it was alien and exotic to him, it still reminded him of the violent, howling disaster known as the sandstorm that he had left behind.
Kyr ambled to the dock. He placed his bags down along the side of the dock and sat down, letting his boots hang above the water. His cloak that had been haphazaardly thrown into one of his bags now hung above the water as well, trying desperately to stay connected to the bag which was saving it from a watery grave. Noticing this, Kyr grabbed the suspended side of the cloak and threw it over the bag.
Now that he was closer, he examind the inconsistent liquid surface of the lake: each small wave, each flick--real or not--of aquatic life, each minute detail of the water's hue. It reminded him of the Aeyr Sea; although, the Aeyr's waters were clear and one could see to the deepest depths from the surface. This water was murky and gave Kyr a frightening chill. But despite the eerie vibe he recieved from the water's disguised depths, he continued to look at it as he waited.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Aug 2, 2009 15:35:28 GMT -5
A shuffling sound wove through the fog, followed by crisp clacks of footsteps, slightly muffled by the dampness of the wood. the figure was the size of a child, only three or four feet in height, but there was something horribly fascinating about its frame that implied this was no human youth. It was difficult to discern exactly what made it seem wrong, with its body swathed in dozens of layers of roughly woven pieces of cloth, all of them shades of brown, worn ripped from use and years.
A cowl of the same ragged cloth came low across the face, leaving it lost in shadow, but two pricks of red could be seen alight with an alien interest. Beneath a cloak of weary sand colored burlap, what looked like slender claws grasped a hilt of some weapon. Its legs were the most disturbing, just visible, were sheathed in some grayish plate armor and didn't appear to have feet. They ended like curved blades on the soggy planks, constantly in motion.
Whatever the creature was, it never seemed to stop moving. Little things, like edging from one foot to another and sharp movements of the head as it reguaged its surroundings, before returning its attention to Kyr.
"Greetings," it said to the boy, though there was a lot more click and hiss to the words than a normal tongue might apply.
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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 2, 2009 19:38:05 GMT -5
Kyr was lost in thought about the water that worked and wreathed beneath his feet, and so even what he thought to be a normal voice would have made him jump. But the inhumaness present in the strangers voice set off a chain reaction of instinctual fears in his head.
Kyr seemed to jump in response, and in the process almost lost his precious balance on the dock. His right hand shot underneath the cloat atop his bag and grabbed the pair of hook swords stashed away underneath. In the process of sloppily grabbing the pair of weapons, the string that kept them tied to the bag severed with a loud snap that spoke volumes about how tightly the swords were tied.
Despite the awkwardness of the beginning of the routine, Kyr spun around on his seat to meet his attacker. Had his pants not been made of the thick material they were, the seat would have been torn to ribbons from the loose splinters and the velocity of his spin. With instincts and emotion running high and dictating his motions, Kyr assumed the tried-and-true battle stance taught to him by his father--left hand out in front, right hand above the face, knees bent, deep breaths, wait for the strike, counter correctly.
Seeing the stranger did not help his first impression. The strange red eyes, the alien, feetless legs, and the hissing and clicking voice--all painted a picture of Kyr's equivalent of the shadow-stealing bogeyman. His face, at first, painted a portrait of will power and strength, but his words were quite different. "W-what--w-who are you?" he stuttered, struggling to force the words from his throat.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Aug 2, 2009 21:17:21 GMT -5
The creature jumped backward before Kyr had completed his revolution with a reflex that was nearly animal. It was hard to interpret recognizable emotion from the glaring red eyes, but there was a visible wariness about them. They never left the student, nor the swift sharpness of his blades. Some silence began to form as it considered, only to be broken by the words that came.
"One who is outcast," it replied, the foreign sounds somehow coming together to create recognizable words. "You should have calm. I am called Kuzuku. I am your Master Teacher."
It lowered its head, looking down at the dock and shuffling silently. Then it raised its head, as if the action had some meaning. "You see? I am friend. A friend."
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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 2, 2009 21:42:13 GMT -5
Kyr looked at the being in silent contemplation for a moment. Soon, his tense muscles relaxed and he lowered the hook swords he had used for protection. He transferred one sword to his left, so both were in his left hand before he finally completely relaxed from his battle preparations. The Hiss-Click Creature's fragmented sentences would not have made him relax if they did not include the phrase 'Master Teacher': the person--Or thing, he thought--that was supposed to be his personal instructor. Apparently, it was called Kuzuku. And apparently it was an outcast. Or Kyr was the outcast. He didn't know; Kyr was just now trying to learn how to decipher the Master Teacher's fragmented speech.
Kyr had the teacher, but now all he needed was the school for it to teach in. In all of his futile observations through the fog, he failed to recogonize even an outline of a school near or far. Just to make sure that he did not miss it, he turned around again and studied the distance again; although, he failed to see much further than the dock. Turning around to face Kuzuku again, Kyr studied the forest from where he had emerged earlier, only to have the same luck. He debated whether or not to ask the Master Teacher where the school was, in fear he might fail some sort of test set in place. He would not be returning home having failed on the first day.
On the other hand, he had no hope upon reaching the school if he didn't ask. All his observations revealed to him was that there was a lake--a big, murky lake. Swimming was never his strong suit, and judging by his Master Teacher, Kyr could be sure that there would be some strange surprises in the water.
Finally, Kyr decided. Talking quickly he asked, "Kuzuku, where is the school?" His pride took a blow from not being able to solve the riddle by himself, but he would not disgrace the tribe with a failure.
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Post by Señor Sunday Friday on Aug 2, 2009 21:46:10 GMT -5
"Friend?" Came an excited trill as a duo appeared in the air, then plopping down to the ground. Two exceptionally odd beings that while looking at them they had definite shape and form, you couldn't quite decide what it was, whether something creature like or more like miniature people. They seemed to be every form and no form at all. These were known as the imps because there was a lacking in an actual better word to describe them.
"Friends, yes?!" they spoke with utter glee, looking up at the pair with broad smiles on thier faces. They seemed to be bubbling over with happiness and one of them dissapeared from it's spot of landing only to reappear in the air adjascent to Kyr's head and above his right shoulder. "Good friends, yes?" it asked. "Really good friends, yes? Yes, yes?" they asked, apparently thier favorite word being 'yes' since they repeated it so much.
It seemed as if they had been summoned by the notion of friendship between two people... or at least one of them looked like a person, you couldn't be quite too sure what Kuzuku was. Freak.
((For your own knowledge, avoid saying the word 'no' because it caused freaky scary things to happen. No lie.))
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Aug 2, 2009 22:13:42 GMT -5
Kuzuku also relaxed, or at least appeared less on its guard. It knew this place well, for it had scoured the area for landmarks and recognition. If one did not know its home, one did not deserve it. Of course, there were many who thought it deserved no home, regardless of how well Kuzuku knew it. Regardless of anything. Perhaps they were right.
"The school is past the large lake. You have powers, some? You have powers that can take you there?"
Kuzuku started when the two beings appeared, having never seen anything like them. All that it had seen had been one thing, possibly two, but it did not know of things that could be many things at once. They seemed simple, like young things, and they were small. But young things did not talk. They hid in the caves in hunger and were hit if they made noise... Kuzuku reminded itself that not all young things were like that, only ones of its people. But no matter what people, young things needed protecting.
This place was full of hungry things, hungry things that were not young and had many teeth. The 'imps' should be brought to the castle with Kyr, where they would be safe. Even so, he had never seen young things so likely to die. They were small, loud, and alone. It was a wonder that they had avoided predators thus far.
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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 3, 2009 11:52:06 GMT -5
After overcoming his initial startling from the arrival of the enigmatic imps, Kyr progressed into a curious phase. He carefully examined the imps' strange and seemingly paradoxical traits about them. He came to the conclusion that they were indeed magical beings that he had never seen nor heard of before in his travels, because the technology needed to use teleportation was in the fetal stages of development in the Eastern Empires. It was only until one of the imps teleported itself next to Kyr's head did he remember that the creatures were speaking, even if it was in sentences fragmented worse than Kuzuku's.
The only response he could give was a, "Yes?" that was said more like a question than an answer. Kyr closely studied the imp close to him, falling into an almost hypnotic state while doing so. He contemplated touching the imp. If it was not real and he was speaking into thin air, then surely his Master Teacher would think him mad. But if it was real and he touched it, then the being might take offense to being poked and prodded by a stranger--Kyr knew he certainly would. And if the beings could teleport themselves, who knew what other tricks or spells they had waiting? Swords and sand could not touch a enemy that could bend space around itself. Kyr decided against it. Just to be sure that he was not hallucinating from some hidden bout of dehydration, Kyr bent down, pulled out a canteen covered in a burlap leather from his bag, and sipped some of the crisp, however somewhat stagnant water.
Kyr returned his attention to his Master Teacher, "Yes I have some powers, I am an ele-men-ta-list." He annunciated each syllable to make sure that he pronounced it correctly. "Yes, an elementalist over the earth. But I do not believe sand can help our journey across the lake." Because of his obvious deficiencies in magical lake traveling, Kyr scoured the ever-thickening fog for something that he could use. There was the possibility of cutting down a tree and carving it into a boat, but that had two problems. One: Kyr lacked an axe or saw, and the hook swords he currently possessed would not be able to fell a tree. Two: his shipbuilding skills were very rusty, and even if he were to return to the peak of his nautical know-how, he would still be meteoker at best.
His Master Teacher might possibly have some sort of skill that could help them get across the lake, or maybe the imps would. Kyr saw fit to ask Kuzuku first, because at this point in time it was the first companion that Kyr met, even if the Master Teacher arrived only a few minutes prior to the imps. "Teacher, do you have a boat or ability that would get us across the lake?" he asked quickly.
He was not usually one to ask for favors or help, and he had already asked twice of his Master Teacher. Such dependence only put more stress on the nomad, not to mention the anxiety of how well he would succeed at the school once he arrived.
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Post by Señor Sunday Friday on Aug 3, 2009 20:23:58 GMT -5
((**Mediocre))
The imps squealed with delight, "Yes, yes! Friend, yes!" they shouted, not paying attention to any other formalities, "Gift, yes?" they asked in unison, one of the imps producing in thier hands a pair of rounded white and red items, upon closer inspection it was a pair of eyes. The imps had spontaneously produced a pair of eyeballs and were now offering them to Kyr, the smiles never breaking from their faces. Curious. To say the least.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Aug 3, 2009 23:36:33 GMT -5
Kuzku was somewhat distracted by the strange young things that now came bearing a present for his student. Eyes? Kuzuku doubted its student was hungry. Even then humans were wasteful in their eating habits, often. It instead focused its attention on its student's self-description. It thought of the shifting sands of its homeland and preformed a jerky nod, though obviously this was not a natural gesture to it.
"The sands seldom shift for the profit of all," it said, a saying of its kind. "Boats line the dock, some. Let us find one, right." It began to skitter along the path of decaying wood slowly, allowing for Kyr to follow along. Eventually it found a broad rowboat that did not seem to hold too much evidence of curses nor demonic possession, nothing it could not negate, anyway. The rowboat bobbed in the aggressive surf, kept in place only by a damp rope tether.
"Enter," it said, lifting a claw to indicate the diminutive vessel. "It will be safe."
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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 4, 2009 7:45:39 GMT -5
Kyr looked down at the imps' gift. A pair of eyes. Real eyes, no less. He knew they were real from the subtle details present: the shine of the jelly in the faint light, the way they sounded like they were sloshing when they rolled, and the semi-solid form of the jelly. Either they were real, or the imps had gone through a painstakingly long process in order to make the eyes.
He made a quick gesture and muttered something underneath his breath, probably a quick prayer to Tantu, god of the deceased. Kyr went down to his cloak and struggled to rip off a patch of leather. When he had finally succeeded, he picked the eyes up with the patch and then wrapped it up. He stared at the makeshift bag in disbelief, eyes wide, jaw gaping. Instantly, his entire perspective of the imps had changed. No longer were they small and harmless imps, but certainly some sort of demons on earth. As per many politeness customs, Kyr quickly shook his head in thanks, gathered his objects, and quickly followed his Master Teacher in its boat selection.
Kyr thought about what Kuzuku said as he placed his things in the rowboat. The sand seldom shifts for the profit of all. There were many times where an event might have spurred trade for his tribe but decreased it for others, and vice-versa, not to mention the various prices fluxes that had both positive and negative effects. Not everyone could get the same piece of pie, Kyr just hoped that those who got a smaller piece at least got their fill. Truly the three-something feet metal being was wiser than its sentences implied.
Kyr sat down in the boat, grabbed an oar from the bottom of the boat, and tested it in the water for a moment. He had to get used to the different resistance provided by the water. After a couple stunted rows, Kyr took out the oar and let the large end sit outside of the boat while the other end was placed inside the small watercraft. "I am ready, Teacher," he said plainly.
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Post by Señor Sunday Friday on Aug 4, 2009 8:01:49 GMT -5
It wasn't so much of a lack of morals within the imps, it was simply a different set of them. A gift given in friendship was a good thing, no matter what that gift may be, and when given whole-heartedly it was the best thing someone could recieve- no matter where it came from. Taking from someone or something else, if for the purpose of giving it to another was always a noble and good gesture.
And the eyes were still warm.
The imps seemed to find comfortable seating in the boat with thier new friends, "Gift, yes?" they asked, looking towards Kuzuku with broad smiles, in thier hands appearing four plastic gemstones. Completely fake but they still had a slight sparkle to them, "Good gift, yes?" they asked, holding the items they believed to be very precious out to Kuzuku, hoping he'd accept.
The two didn't expect anything in return, they were friends and it was fine if they didn't get anything, friends never expected gifts but were always happy when they got them. The imp who was not holding the worthless 'gems' was leaning far over the side of the boat, eyes peering down into the water with a glimmer, watching translucent beings slide through the liquid. Ghosts, it seemed and the imp was entirely unperturbed by their presence.
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Post by Ladd Russo of the Russo Family on Aug 4, 2009 22:35:33 GMT -5
The thing known as Kuzuku, though it did not always have a name, joined its student in the sturdy little boat. It stopped its constant scuttling, if only to keep the boat steady, but the lack of movement obviously made the teacher uncomfortable. Instead, it crossed its long clawed hands and placed them on the bottom of the boat, so that the claws splayed out in a half-circle.
Bright blue sparks flew, as if flint had been dashed against stone, and a dark shadow briefly encased the boat. Some protection was needed against the inhabitants of this lake. Kuzuku straightened, now realizing the two young things were focusing their cries upon him. Not having the hands required for cupping small, hard objects, he retrieved a small pouch from somewhere under the many layers of burlap and linen and held it out for them.
"Thank you," it said. They were crystals, things that humans sometimes wore about them. It had observed that the more crystals that adorned a human, the more likely they were to spurn him. But it did not matter. "You will be safe and at the school, soon."
The teacher noticed Kyr handling the oars, and one leg twitched about an inch to the side in surprise. "Do you want to row?" it asked, somewhat haltingly.
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Post by Kyr Asaq on Aug 5, 2009 8:11:00 GMT -5
"It does not matter," Kyr said as he repositioned himself for optimal comfort in the rowboat. He was amazed, to say the least, and a little perturbed when a shadow coupled with the notion that there was something deadly in the water. Kyr began to row out, but sonn felt a tug that connected him to the dock and caused the watercraft to go off of its intended course and lightly bump into the dock.
He kicked himself. He had a feeling that he had forgotten something, but had been too enthralled by the protective shadows to remember what it had been. Well, now he reaped the consequences of his forgetfullness. "I am sorry," Kyr said to the Master Teacher, obviously frustrated from the tone in his voice to the wrinkle on his forehead.
Fuelled by vexation and an eagerness to get to the school, Kyr quickly grabbed a hook sword from his bag, put the hook around the dripping tether, and then made a quickly pulled back, snapping the rope in the process. A sarcastic round of applause ran through Kyr's head, but he dismissed it just as quickly as he placed his hook sword in its appropriate place in the bag.
Now with the only obstacle between Kyr and rowing the boat was out of the way, he began rowing furiously. Each row was rowed like his last and seemed to rocket the boat forward. Stop, rocket, repeat. Such inconsistency kept Kyr slowly rocking back and forth in his seat. "Is there--anything else-- we need to do-- Teacher?" Kyr said in between the rowing-grunts.
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Post by Señor Sunday Friday on Aug 5, 2009 12:10:24 GMT -5
"Row, row, row your oats gently down the steam!" The imps sang merrily, the lyrics obviously more than a little strewed though they either did not know or did not care, "ferally, ferally, ferally, ferally, wife is but a beam!" they made exxaggerated rocking movements whenever the boat jerked foreward with each rowing motion that Kyr made. This continued for a few brief moments till one of them whispered a quiet "Put put put put..." and the boat glided along more smoothly, getting propulsion through those moments when Kyr's rowing wasn't sending the boat foreward. They didn't take any of the work away from Kyr of course, they just made it infinately more comfortable, and there was the new addition of the imp quietly murmering the same sound over and over again. Sound effects were good, very good.
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