Kin Chronicles Realm: Betrayal of the Guardians

[KittKat chunky~]

Kitt looked up at Lo as she walked softly into his room, eyes tired, with dark shadows beneath them.  Lo sat down on the end of his bed, and opening the leather satchel she carried... "I have a few things for you.. That i feel are rightfully yours..." She pulled out what appeared to be a bundle of cloth, which upon being unfolded, proved to actually be three cloaks wrapped around the ´Book Of The Rangers´. She pushed the book over to him "Even if i wont be able to train you. Learn from this at least..."


Even as Kitt took the book, She unfolded the first cloak, the same muted green and browns as the one Kitt had worn before... "This, was Vladimir´s... He must have been around your age, so i feel it should fit better than the cloak you currently have..." She shrugged at his questioning look "We where childhood friends. When the Rangers where more commonplace... He left them here years ago now..." Handing the cloak over, Lo unfolded the second cloak. It looked the same, except the colours. The cloak and hood where warm oranges and reds, autumnal colours. Rangers where renowned for the different colorations of their cloaks, some where dependant on the seasons, other on clan. All had a practical use.


Finally Lo unfolded the last cloak. The one that had caught Kitt´s eye straight away... It was a pale Teal colour, the inside lined with silver fur. As she handed it over, Kitt felt that it was also coated with waxy lanolin, making it waterproof... "Technically that cloak would be worn by Clan Esha... But most of the Ranger clans also wear it during winter... It was your mothers...." She paused, waiting to see Kitt´s reaction... He held the cloak tightly, running a paw through the fur lining... He looked up, as Lo stood started to walk out... "Thank you" his voice was husky, but he smiled for the first time today... Lo smiled back "It was the least i could do..."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Mo's attack didn't stop just from hitting the ground. He continued to burrow right through in an instant and curved right back around, while Talin's forged weapon struck only ground. Mo shot out from right under Talin and split into 3 full-body clones, sticking needles into Talin's body, paralyzing everything. The three clones quickly just as the needles went in far enough, "I'm not as good as Ferdande when it comes to those clones. They're not for combat, and I can't maintain them, but they do the trick. So I guess you're in the same category as Bo. But I wonder if you'd last as long if I were to spar seriously with you. Here in the village, our sparring matches aim to kill. Now take a rest, I'll unparalyze your lungs and heart." Mo quickly removed certain needles and walked off. "I'll be back in 2 minutes to take you upstairs for food. Master Hajime's preparing a tray for you to take to your darling lover."


Bo stuck his tongue out as Mo mentioned him again. "Hey! Don't put me in the same category as this kid! Come on, Lady Kiana. Let's go help out with the kitchen." Bo got up and stormed towards the stairs.


Vo went up to White just as he was dozing off with his dream, and kicked him on the foot again. "Bloody hell, child! You played hooky all morning and now you take a nap!? I swear to Gaia, youngsters these days. Now sit up straight and recite to next chapter on bone mending for me."


The surges of pain began to shoot through Kitt not too long after Lo had left him. Like before, the pain was unbearable, and surged through every fiber of his body. The young ranger clutched his body tight and ravaged himself all over the floor as he screamed out in pain. Lo couldn't help but sigh in sadness as she heard Kitt from just outside the Inn. Poor child. Even your father didn't even dare to go through the ritual.


Drevo trailed behind Ferdande to head over to the tavern early. He hung his head low and walked with a slump. Ferdande sighed at the sight, "I told you not to worry about it, jeez. It's not like anyone's ever done it in a morning. Come on, Drevo, it's not the end of the world. You have 2 more days after today to just get the stance with me supervising. After that, I'm sure it'll be more vigorous with Korius as your instructor. It IS his technique, after all... Damn, I would sure hate to be in your shoes. I just remembered that he's rumored to be more merciless than Master Hajime, and that nearly killed me. Hope he doesn't kill you, friend."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Kiana just shook her head after the so-called fight was over and Bo suggested they go to help in the kitchen. She wished she had left earlier since the fight wasn't very entertaining in her opinion. What was a little entertaining was how upset Bo was getting about what Mo said about his fighting skill. Now she thought she wouldn't care to spar with him since it seemed to her that it wouldn't be much of a challenge from how Mo made it sound. She couldn't really tease Bo any more than she just had about his sensitivity since she tended to be just as sensitive when it came to her fighting ability. She followed Bo upstairs to the kitchen.

[White Wolf Guardian]

*The wolf almost jumped up out of the void and yelped as he instantly woke up at the sudden shock* "Gah, just a few more minutes..." *He yawned* "Fine... I'll practice, jeez I haven't eaten today and I'm still not exactly familiar with this place around here. " *He rubs his eyes and sits up straight heaving the book up and flipping through the pages* "Ah, bone mending!" *He slid his paw across the page and delved into the intro and got to the beginning part* "So... Do I have to read you this entire section?" *He grimaced at the thought and twitched a little* "I can only hope there's a light at the end of this tunnel."

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin was ashamed of how much he relied on Chronin's power just because he didn't have a stick with two sharp edges. Chronin simply cut off Talin's link to his power since not only was he doing poorly in combat, but he lacked the focus of a real mage to minimize the amount of energy needed for long battles. But Chronin's feelings on the matter were of little concern in comparison to the kind of people he couldn't stop from hurting Elistra. He wanted to be back on his feet and start exercising, sparring, and learning new styles; anything would be better than just sitting there while someone just beat you up while your body is not allowed to block or defend. Whats the point of anger management if my power only amounts to this much?!

Elistra was in a similar, yet not as physically draining, issue as she was practically forbidden from exercising as the nurses feared her own body would crush the egg from how strengthened her midsection would have become. However, she did manage to get a 'theory' book of copying techniques with the excuse of 'good reading material' and thought that Talin, being of an order that copies dragons in order to best them, would probably make the most out of this book as he was a bit lacking in the pure physical brawn that Korius possesed. I don't think I told him that his muscles were the last thing I was interested in... well he'll find out soon enough she thought before putting away the book and grew a smirk at the memory of him crawling along the cieling, and taking out the target in a single strike. Still, she had to keep up to put up the impression that she was the more agile, despite being of draconian heritage...

[KittKat chunky~]

Kitt woke with a pounding headache. He was on the floor, with no memory of how he had gotten there... "Ugh, what the?" His voice was croaky and painfull, it felt as if he was in the grips of the worlds worst hangover. Pulling himself up by the end of the bed, he looked down at his chest. There the emblem of the Rangers was clearly burned into his flesh, and with it came memory of exactly what had happened...

With a grunt of pain, Kitt pulled himself up onto both feet. The pain had lessened to a mere throb somewhere in his chest, but even so it took several minutes to steady himself. On the other side of his room, stood a full length mirror. Curiosity won over fear, as Kitt limped over to it. He gripped the edges of the mirror, trying to stay on his feet. What he saw both shocked, and fascinated him...

The likeness of his father was incredible, the same tan fur and long feline ears. He still looked like himself, but Lo was right, a person could change a lot in two years. And there where other things as well that caught his eye most of all.

The first where his eyes. Before they had been the same green as his fathers, but now they where a bright Amber. As well as this, the tips of his dark hair had turned a silvery white. Not signs of early aging, but as if they had been dipped in some kind of dye... He twisted one lock of hair side to side, watching how the light glistened off it. His mother, like most of Clan Esha had silvery-white hair, and amber eyes.... He needed to ask Lo some serious questions....

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Hajime welcomed Bo and Kiana in the kitchen and pointed them to help with fetching more cooking water from the well. While they were out, he/she prepared the trays and had them stacked next to her. Lo walked in to pick up two of the trays before heading back to the Inn. Hajime smiled as Kiana and Bo came in. She/he handed two closed trays to Kiana, "Here you go, dear. Take these over to the medical center. One of them is yours. Be careful they're very heavy. Also, let Vo and White know that it's meal time. It should be ready by the time they get here."


Mo came back and removed the needles from Talin, "Well, it's about time for midday supper. Let's go. Master Hajime's already prepared some trays for you and Lady Elistra." He led the wolf towards the exit, sighing as he went. Kids these days. Having children at such a young age.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Kiana did as she was directed and went with Bo to fetch water from the well. When Hajime handed her the trays, she didn't falter a bit from their weight and she didn't question why she needed two. She figured she was delivering Korius just from how Hajime had been teasing them lately, but she didn't see why she needed to take her food with her when she could just go back and eat. She let out a sigh as she turned and left the tavern. She went to the medical center and found White reciting a section of a book aloud to Vo. "Hajime said to tell you that it's meal time." She said, shifting the trays on her arm. She asked another person in the medical center where Korius was and followed their directions to him. She walked over to Korius who was still passed out on floor and knelt down on the floor a couple feet away from him. She quietly set the top tray in front of her knees on the floor and set her staff beside her before going to take her cloak off when she realized she hadn't put it back on since taking it off the day before. She took the second tray in both hands then extended her arms out at full-length and dropped the heavy tray on the floor next to Korius. "Meal time!" She yelled, her voice echoing off the walls.

[White Wolf Guardian]

*For a moment White stared at Kiana looking up from his reading when she walked in, feeling like it had been a century since he had spoken to her* "She looks well, I wonder what news..." *After hearing her announce the meal time, he got up rather quickly* "Oh sweet Gaia! I can esc...I mean go to dinner now! Studying time for later, food time for now." *He put on a grin and quickly got up, moving like a zombie towards the wafts of succulent sweet smells of food above the underground complex* "I will make it without falling asleep! I can almost guarantee that unless somebody knocks me out on the way there." *He put on a look of determination as he passed by Vo*

[Chrono Blackwyng]

As Talin entered the hall, some of the nurses were having issues with Elistra as she clung to a book rather obsessivly. This at least brough him out of his funk for the duration that he spent trying to get the nurses to back off. After that small incident, Elistra brought all the trays stacked on top of eachother with only one arm, which served to deepen his depression. "Was Mo too sadistic because I wasn't there to deck him?" she asked as he took off the top try and pratically nibbled at the rice before looking at her. "Chronin gave me some power after Mo said to spar with him... I couldn't even scratch him!" "Oh come on, its not like hes a Guardian, there had to be moments where he was open!" Talin started calling off times where he could have attacked, how he could have countered Mo's drill, but none of it seemed to register to him.

There was a smack and the breaking of pottery as Talin's snout was immersed in rice, and half the diner glancing at them before going back to their meals. "Yet you lost?!" she was going into 'lecture' mode but instead caught herself as she remembered what she probably didn't make clear to him. However, that didn't help her forced grin seem at all real when she pulled his head out of the rice and held him at eye-level. "How has it not occoured to you that as a dragon, I am born to be physically stronger than your wolfen frame can hope to accomplish attractively. I picked you out of five other dragons who would probably put Mo's strength to shame because you actually had something between those flaps you call ears!". She started to calm down afterwards, and gave him the book that she was earlier trying to keep from the nurses. "I figured you could make this theory a reality since you posses both mystical and physical skill." She noticed him glancing down at her slightly bulging gut, and flicked his ear in annoyance. "Now you don't need to worry about having multiple children as your first experience in parenting, you managed to knock me up when I wasn't in heat, so only one egg was possi-" halfway through the 'rant' Talin had lapped up the rice, and then washed it down with some sauce before planting a kiss right on Elistra's lips to cut her off.

He pulled away, then put an arm to her shoulder as she attempted to go further. She was able to leave her temporarily aroused state, then had shown embarrassment before eating some food to hide her facial expression. "I know you miss me, but can it wait 'till we're in our room?" he said in a joking tone, only to get a playful punch from Elistra as she went to her next tray, leaving Talin with four trays of food as 'adjustment' to how much food her kind would usually intake for a day's worth of food.

[KittKat chunky~]

Lo walked quietly into Kitt´s room, carrying the trays with her "You awake Kitt?" She closed the door behind her, turning the face the room. She was very surprised to see that not only was Kitt awake, but he was standing up and halfway through pulling on the autumnal Ranger cloak. She placed the trays down, and went to help him.

"You know, ive never heard someone curse so much while trying to get dressed..." Finally he had the cloak on, and collapsed back onto the bed. Lo pushed the tray over to him, and nodded to the food on it "Eat up... You seem to be over the worst of it, but i´d rather you ate your fill."

As Kitt ate, even just getting the food from the tray into his mouth and ardous and painfull task, Lo looked over him with an expert eye. She paused over the most obvious changes, and sighed. Kitt however was the first to speak "Its somthing do with my heritage isnt it? Mixed Clans, and the magic in the ritual reacted with it somehow..."

Lo smirked, studying him carefully. "Yes... That is the conclusion i came to myself... Unfortunately i have some bad, or good news however you look at it... The effects could fade away in a matter of days.... or.... they could get worse..." Kitt stopped eating, staring up at her. "Wait.. what do you mean, worse?" Lo shook her head, smile now gone "I dont know... I have never seen this happen before. After all, breeding between clans was always highly frowned upon... We shall see with time..."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Korius almost shot up at the clang of the tray and Kiana's shouting. He groaned as his joints strained him. "Thanks..." Korius had no idea what to say to Kiana. However, he voraciously consumed his meal and gulped them down. After consuming half of his meal, Korius sort of stared down into his food and sighed, "So how is your training going? I can already feel a much higher Majicka volume within you. My senses have heightened close to what they used to be back when I was with the Knights. However, I'd be lying if I said I'm still not afraid of my power. I really hope we find Soria soon. If we end up finding her last, there's a good chance I'd end up being the one to kill you all."


Bo, Mo, Vo, Ferdande and Hajime met in the kitchen as the meals were nearing completion. Ferdande was the first to speak up, "Drevo needs more time to at least get the stance down. It is taking longer than I thought, and I just need that extra day." Mo nodded in agreement, "I'll also need the extra day to train Talin. He has great power, much stronger than my own, but he can't even touch 5% of that. If he can't control himself, he'll end up as the next Chronin incarnate, and we'll have to kill him." Bo just kind of nodded. "Lady Kiana's doing fine with my training, but I guess that's expected for magic-users. The group IS in a hurry, though, and we all know what the Guardians have planned in the shadows. If THAT happens, it's the end of Gaia, end of story. Perhaps we can at least lend them some horses and carriages to make it faster if we keep them here longer." Hajime nodded with agreement with Bo but snapped at him at the mention of horses and carriages, "You know damn well why we can't do that. Hunters and loyalists are rampant anywhere and everywhere, regardless if their Lord Guardians are dead or alive. If they travel like such, they'd be easy targets. Their in a constant state of fighting all the time, they don't need extra baggage." Vo cut in quickly, "Unfortunately, they need to be trained properly, or else it will end with their next battle with the Guardians. We need to alot them one more day. Especially the white one. He's been very lazy and acting like a child."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Kiana smirked at Korius' reaction and nodded in response to him thanking her. She ate her food in silence and at a normal pace. When Korius spoke, she listened to him without looking up and waited a minute before responding to him. "It's going alright, I guess. The hardest part of it is actually dealing with my pervert of a trainer." She responded. "Can't believe what he tried to get me to wear today..." She added in a mumble before finishing her response. "I'm not too worried about you. You seem to have it all together..." She took another bite of her food and chewed it.

[White Wolf Guardian]

*The wolf sat down at a table and ate by himself, feeling in another world* "I haven't been thinking very clearly, but it's been a long day. I got the weapon en route and got some food, but haven't really gotten to talk to anybody, but hey if it's for the team I'll study. Just needed a day break, but back to work after this meal." *He worked away at the meal trying to finish it quickly and making a small ball of white majicka in his other paw to focus on his primary objective* "I'm gonna make that Vo proud, I'm capable of a lot more just didn't feel like working at it, which is quite bad when I think about it. I could really get us killed if I don't take this seriously." *He sweated for a bit about the thought at hand* "Better not screw up." *He muttered aloud to himself quietly*

[Chrono Blackwyng]

After the two finished eating, Elistra leaned her head on Talin's left shoulder as he read through the theory book. After a twenty or so pages, he put his index finger between the pages before closing the book and imaging the cloning technique of Mo's since he didn't have Ferdande's apparently far surperior form. He broke it down to two possible ideas: either they're hallucinations brough out by an unseen injector of hallucinagenics, or his own life energy was projected out as hollow clones that would vanish if penetrated by a blade or arrow. Elistra saw how serious Talin was thinking as his face was pratically motionless except for blinking. She couldn't help but break his focus by pushing him onto his side and almost making the book fall out of his hand.

"What the heck is that for?!" "There was smoke coming out of your ears..." "Really, I thought I cleaned out my ears when we were at the spa" "Or maybe you were only thinking about tonight..." Talin then quickly fell off his seat while laughing, but he was also making an effort to keep his eyes on Elistra. "I seem to remember you yelling at me this morning about 'careless coupling', yet fornication is the first thing on your mind when you look at me!?" she had a face of pure shock at the statement, and tried to hide a blush when yelling back. "No its not the first, its the third!!"