The Search For Mana

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

By the time Vosur had come back, Ember had finished her piece of salted pork. When he mentioned guests, she looked confused before looking back at where Lazaryos was in the distance and trying to what else was there. She thought she saw an outline of a figure but she wasn't sure so she gave up and directed her attention back to the fire. When Lazaryos came back to the camp, she was waving her hand through the top of the flames. She didn't pay any mind to Lazaryos laying closer to her than normal and finally rolled out her sleeping mat then laid down on it, staying close to the fire.

[Srgntcuddles]

"A confession, eh?" said Dante in response to Vosur. He looked at Lazaryos as he returned, he knew it was the cat from before he was with, he could smell her. "When ever you're ready. I'm an open book..." He sat up for a moment before standing to help Vosur with the gazelle he had carried over. He was trying to be helpful considering they all but refuse for him to heal them. It was the least he could do he told himself.

[Vosur Aekira]

Vosur accepted the help to start preparing a meal from the hunt he bagged this evening. He began by preparing up the first gazelle for the fire while talking to Dante, first taking off his tinted glasses to look towards Dante as if to allow himself to be seen as he was. "I've been helped at least three times from what I can remember by those of the cloth. First time was not long after I was born, I was taken in by a monastery until I was old enough to learn how to make a living for myself. I still have no knowledge of what happened to my parents, but I was told my last name: Aekira. Second time, after I became an apprentice blacksmith/silversmith and eventually a blacksmith/silversmith myself, I was secretly betrothed to a kitsune fire-mage. The one who did it, did it in secret for both of our safeties and took a vow of silence for our behalf." he spoke out, working the gazelle on the fire he made and now starting to lightly rotisserie it while making the second one into strips to smoke the meat. He paused in his confession, mainly trying to force the words out now, but did continue on eventually: "Ever heard that such marriages are often referred to as 'cursed'? Well, because of how people on both sides of the Majicka, those having and those who don't have it, it became 'cursed' in their minds. My wife wanted me to become a mage somehow so that her father would give me his blessing, and the only way that was to be able to happen was to find the Mana. We did search for clues, but our searches drew attention, mainly from my father-in-law."

He stopped for a moment as he started to check the meat on the rotisserie, not quite done yet... so he went to prepping the skin into leather before he continued on. "Well, he was not happy at what his daughter had done, not recognizing our marriage and ignoring me when I approached him to speak to him, which led our decision to search for the Mana. He must've caught wind of this and it probably threw him into a fit that his own daughter wanted a normal to have such power. All she wanted was for her father to give me his blessing so we could've been a family..." Vosur quietly spoke on as he was alternating between checking the meat on the fire, checking the smoked meat, and preparing the leather from the gazelles. "Well, he definitely didn't approve of this and tried several times to convince his own daughter away from this decision, even still not acknowledging me in the process. His last decision I found out one day when I went to gather supplies for the smithy we had just built. Upon my return home, I had found my beloved Ruby near-death with Thieves Guild members nearby. They attacked and captured me, only to torture me as I saw my wife die in plain sight. He hired mercenaries to kill his own daughter and son-in-law just to keep their way of life going." He stopped the confession only to shift the meat that was smoking and the meat that was cooking around to prevent the rotisserie from burning before he continued on. "They figured they would leave me for dead in a sand pit-ant's trap, but something odd happened while I was being bitten. I could feel a bit of strength course through me and I eventually escaped from the trap. And here's to the last time I can remember: I was found nearby the church that Ruby and I went to as we were a couple... and it was by the same priest who performed the marriage. He almost didn't recognize me due to the scars on most of my body, my eye color had changed, and so had my tail and hair colors as well. But if it weren't for me speaking to him, he probably would've felt me as a stranger. He healed my wounds as he carried on his silence, his expression somewhat mournful. I could guess he got the news of my wife passing away." he muttered, his eyes locked on the fire.

"But now for the confession you wanted to hear, that fox-mage that we saw back in the Guild's camp? He was the one who told them to put me in the sand pit-ant's trap and had forced me to see my wife die. He was the first person I had revenge for. I never knew his name, but when I saw him again, I couldn't help myself but to want to kill him. He did die rather slowly and I probably antagonized his agony while he was breathing his last breaths. But that is not all, I have pondered on killing my beloved's father since he too may be involved in the search for the Mana... but I will definitely confront him to question why he chose to have his own daughter killed."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos' mind hung in limbo as he ended up listening to Vosur's story. If it's not one sob story, it's another. Lazaryos didn't particularly care for others, with the exception of one female who has enchanted him. I'll just have to make sure I kill this bugger when we get to labyrinth, or else he'll attempt to remove the Mana permanently. It'll be a problem if he does that. Lazaryos kept his eyes closed and imagined what the labyrinth could possibly look like and how he might be able to kill off the damned pup before he had to a chance to destroy the Mana flower.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember half-listened to what Vosur was saying to Dante but trying not to because she didn't want to intrude. It was hard not to though when he was the only one talking. Other than that, the only sound was the fire crackling. She caught the name 'Ruby' in his story and remembered from the beginning of his story that this woman was a fire mage. "Guess that's why he calls me Ruby. Must remind him of her since I'm a fire mage too." She thought as she laid there looking up at the stars. She figured his story would be sad to her if she had ever had that kind of relationship with someone, but it didn't have as much impact on her since she hadn't.

[Srgntcuddles]

Dante listened to Vosur as he talked and did his various things with the gazelle. He didn't help with most of the bigger things cause he wasn't sure on how to do a lot of it. "I was raised to believe every life is precious. In a similar situation I too might have felt the way you did and done what you did. But you still killed someone, extinguished someone's life. A living person who is the same as you and I, living life, though having made negative choices. In the eyes of the one all things are forgivable, so I cannot think less of you for one fault." After Dante spoke, he thought of his reason for going after The Mana, the selfish desire to be able to feel. "Tell me, does it feel good?...The wind. Blowing through your hair." he said a bit softly looking up to the sky.

[Vosur Aekira]

He ended up staring into the fire for a bit, snapping out of it when he was asked about the wind. "It can be gentle at times and it can be painful at times. The light, feathery touch of the breeze or the stinging touch of a sand-riddled storm. The soothing feel of a light rain-shower or a hot-spring soak is a lot better though." he said with a chuckle before he used the tip of his card to check the meat. "Looks like the food's done. Be sure to leave the strips to smoke, we'll need'em later on." he spoke as he cut a piece of the gazelle off for himself, almost juggling a bit as he was burning his hands. "It is hot, be careful."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos sighed as the two got on with eating, "Murder is murder, pup. With every life you take, a part of your soul seems to tear apart. There's no sugar-coating such a thing. You live with the blood on your hands to your grave and beyond, when you pass into the Spirit Realm. It then makes your heart mundane, in which it leads to more killing, that then leads to a blood-lust that will never be quenched. Death is a sickness, and you've only dug your own grave for spilling any at all. Anyways, get to sleep. We're leaving at daybreak. We must make it to Blue Crimson as soon as possible. I'm not going to be dawdling here. If you're not up by the time Ember, the hatchling and I are, we're leaving without you."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember looked at her hands while Lazaryos spoke. She imagined layers upon layers of blood on her hands from all of the deaths she has dealt. From her expression that could be seen in the glow of the fire, she didn't look bothered by it, merely curious. Her hands suddenly felt kind of heavy so she lowered them and rest them on her stomach and closed her eyes. She smirked when Lazaryos mentioned that they'd leave without the other two. It seemed he really didn't care to have them in their group.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono had also looked at his claws, and blood was dripping out of the openings in the gauntlets. Wow, hope thats just imaginary... He tried to 'dry' his hands by pushing them into the sand, then pulled them back out so fast that it almost threatened to put out the fire from the spray of sand. He crossed his arms and slept on his side to cover up any blood that he might actually have on his hands.

[Srgntcuddles]

Dante didn't need to look at his hands he knew what was or was not on them. He didn't care about what Lazaryos had said, his explanation didn't interest him. Lying down he thought about what Vosur had said about the wind as he looked at the sky again. Vosur was probably the only one Dante cared about, the others seemed like blood thirsty monsters to him. They all so carelessly threw away life as if it were nothing without a single thought. It sickened him.

[Vosur Aekira]

"I already know that, 'old man'." he retorted to Lazaryo's notion of murder being murder no matter how it was put. "Being a mercenary means you do have to kill people from time to time if the job calls for it, but I only chose any job of that nature that would give me information. I was mostly a spy and bodyguard type, but there were times that I required to take a life that I regret. But it did get me this far." he noted, using his card to cut himself smaller pieces from what he had to chew on before swallowing the piece he ate. "I will find out whether or not my 'father-in-law' is searching for this power as well. If he is, I will stop him and deal with him on my own. I only hope I don't need to do something I regret between me and him."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos didn't give another thought or care to Vosur and went to sleep. His dreams plagued him with scenes of Ember in what his mind cooked up to be what the labyrinth looked like. Within the dream, he watched as various monsters surrounded the group. They then began to tear away at each team member, leaving him and Ember left. Lazaryos watched as they then began tearing away at Ember's clothes first, and then at her flesh. He tried to cast spells and tried to move, but he wasn't able to. Lazaryos didn't realize until this point, but in this dream, he was merely a head, he was already dead. Lazaryos awoke immediately, cold sweat coursing through all over his body and under his fur. What the hell was that?

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember kept her eyes closed as she coaxed the fire back up with her majicka after the spray of sand caused it to reduce dramatically. She listened what Vosur said but didn't respond to it because she didn't think it was something that he needed a response on from her. As she absorbed the heat from the fire, she slowly fell asleep. For once, she had no dreams or nightmares. When she awoke the next morning, she was fully rested as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head which simultaneously stretched her wings.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

The dream from before started right where it left off, and the blinding light faded to reveal his uncle lying on the ground in an unconsious and rather roughed up state.  He was in a crater with rock fragments scattered everywhere, and his father simply laughed as he strode his way towards his uncle. "Your power, though formidable in its own right, has only delayed your demise my former kin." Chrono's sister was trying to keep her legs from wobbling as she held Chrono like her own son, trying to shield his eyes and ears from their father's wrath.

Chrono's father put a foot on his now defenceless brother, and with a gleam of bloodlust and a grin of madness, plunged his hand into the unarmored chest of Chrono's uncle. There was no sign of pain as his uncle was still recovering from the spell, but it was obvious that his end was coming as the hand of the Tri'Malis Clan's leader was now pulling out a blueish energy from his brother and sending it right to his cursed eye. With no magic to fuel his life-span, Chrono saw his uncle's body rapidly wither away into flaking scales and hollow bone before turning entirely into ash.

His father stood there for a moment either contemplating over his brother's demise, or the new strength he had gained from draining a mage. Chrono couldn't decipher either, as he quickly awoke to the 'sight' of his father suddenly snapping his head towards his direction. He kept turning his head around to see if he was in danger, but saw only his 'allies' whom had woken only slightly earlier than himself.