Dark Sky's Story

The steps leading up to the Master's prestigious dojo had always been busy with the traffic of students; coming and going; running up and running down. But the two students who stood on patrol under the open gate seemed to get a heavy feeling when they saw a particular one make his way up towards them. He was a stranger, and never before had he stepped foot there to practice or to learn from their many masters.

More worryingly, however, was the way he looked and dressed. His pale skin covered by a traditional, ceremonial clothing and a headdress stood atop his head to decorate his grey hair. His youthfulness was betrayed by his eyes, which held the taint of experience and a lust for power that could be matched by no usual man lest they had studied from one of the few dark manuscripts of the martial arts world. All students were warned away from those difficult-to-decipher symbols, and for good reason. Once you understood their true meaning, they changed you into something malevolent and greedy. An upset to the balance of Yin and Yang.

"May we help you?" One asked, as the stranger stopped at the top of the stairs and peered at them, one at a time.

"Yes, you may. I wish to speak to your master," Dark Sky replied, giving a slight bow of his head in respect.

"Our master is not present at this time. May I ask what it is you need of him so I can relay a message?"

"You may," the stranger answered with a nod. "Though as they say, actions speak louder than words."

".. How do you mean?" One asked, looking at the other.

"Well.. Leaving his students defeated, ashamed and dying is much more likely to get me a reply now, isn't it?"

They replied with their swords, suddenly drawing them from their hips and swinging out for the man who had clearly shown his intent to cause trouble. Their blades, however, would hit nothing but air as he deftly moved his form around, between and through each strike. He retaliated with blows of his own, fingers striking precisely at points across their body, then a sudden gust of Chi that resulted from him pushing out his arms knocking them aside and wincing.

As they scrambled to get up, Sky shook his head. "That technique is known as 'Restore The Balance of Yin and Yang'. You have roughly eight seconds to do as the title orders, or you will both immediately lose your lives."

With a sly smile, he stepped inside, where dozens of other opponents awaited him.

Pretty dark eyes looked down at the fallen students of Master's Dojo. Mei tilted her head curiously and slapped her fan closed against her palm. A lovely smile spread across the young woman's face and she giggled in the back of her throat.

"Apologies are to be made. Forgive Dark Sky," Mei Fen said to the two students desperately attempting recover their balance.

"It is very important that we speak to Master," said Mei Fen. "Do us a favor and die please. It surely will grab Master's attention." The young woman opened her fan with a quick flick of her wrist and held it in front of her face.

Caofu robes dusted the face of one of the students as Mei Fen stepped over him. She hurried followed after Dark Sky and dainty shut the doors of the dojo behind her.

Mei Fen took off her shoes and wiggled her tiny, dainty, toes. Her feet were much smaller than was normal but Mei Fen was also much more petite than most ladies her age. She only stood a perfect five feet tall and could not have weighed more than ninty pounds. Most of that weight came from her hair which if not put up properly came down to the young woman's knees.

Mei Fen snapped her fan closed against her palm and looked around the dojo with curious excitement in her eyes. Her head tilted when she noticed something peculiar. There was a pair of eyes and a sliver of a black substance peeking out from a storage room.

Mei Fen opened her fan and walked toward the anomaly on her teeny feet.

Fear spread amongst the Dojo like a fire. The other students were reacting to the events outside, spreading word. It could feel them.

Then the song came. Quiet at first, but steadily crescendoing in the minds of all present until it was clear as day. The melody was eerie and alien, but despite that, strangely comforting. The panicking students grew slowly calm, lulled from their fear and disharmony into a warm, dream-like state of peace. Many found themselves lost from their surroundings altogether, drawn into a vision of rolling fields and beautiful flowers, where a perfect summer day beat down on them from overhead.

Amongst the fields, there was one figure who was not of the students, a slight androgynous figure with pitch-black long hair and pale skin, wrapped in a robe of black where they sat amongst the flowers. They seemed distracted, like they were focused on another world entirely.

Whether it would have the same unnatural effect on Mei and Sky, however, was uncertain.

The eyes from the storage room watched Mei warily, tendrils retreating back around the frame, waiting to see if she and her companion were drawn into the dream like the students or not.

He felt the strange presence trying to pull at his mind, but he wasn't completely sucked in by it. The fields and flowers appeared to him as a screen flickering through the static of reality, one moment peace, the next slaughter. Still, this was most displeasing. He could not justify slaughtering those who lacked the will to even fight back, so he left them, walking through them to follow his female friend Mei, who seemed to have found something interesting; perhaps even a source.

"What is it?" He asked, as he slid his sword back down into the scabbard by his side.

It was such a beautiful and wonderful song, Mei Fen found herself thinking.

Mei Fen closed her fan and crouched down almost in a sit on the floor. She tilted her head the other way and blinked her big, beautiful, dark eyes. She could feel Dark Sky at her back without him even saying a word.

"A new friend, perhaps," Mei Fen said optomistically. She giggled in the back of her throat and held out a hand for the creature, inviting it to come out to say hello.

"I won't hurt you," promised Mei Fen. Of course it was never Mei that did the hurting. That was Dark Sky's role in their pairing.

"Says no hurt, but brings it here. Pain and dying, fear. It sees them follow her, in him." The creature's voice was definitively inhuman, a blend of high and low tones, as though there were several speaking through it. "They reject its song. Why? Song to stop the dying, to stop the fear. But they don't want it to end."

The door of the storeroom was shoved fully open, and the being surged out into the open at surprisingly speed. Tendrils snaked outwards, carrying it along the ground as though it were riding a wave of black, before latching onto the wall and pulling it up into the upper corner of the room, on the ceiling.

The creature consisted of a mass of tentacles that twined with one another and extended outwards in all directions, originating from a more solid mass of black in the centre. From that same centre, what appeared to be its main body originated, a stretched and unnervingly flexible torso with another pair of tendrils in place of arms. Its face was dominated by a pair of large white eyes, lacking in any pupil or iris to diminish their hollow stare. What might have been a head of messy long hair hung around its shoulders, but given that like the rest of its body, it was pure black, it was hard to tell whether it was hair or just a further extension of its body.

"It smells the death on them." Zexal hissed, head rotating around to look between them.

"Stop playing with it," he ordered like some stern, jealous man. "We've clearly wasted our time here and I will not fight those who cannot fight back, so let us just leave. Perhaps we'll try again tomorrow, once this.. Creature isn't here."

He reached down to the ground, beginning to examine the wooden flooring with brushes of his fingers. It didn't feel particularly strange considering that the black thing had just 'slimed' it's way over that bit of floor, but he supposed there was no point lingering on it. Strange creatures were everywhere these days; apparently the Gods didn't feel fit to keep them separated from mortal kind anymore.

At least the powers that be had made an effort to stop Sky, even if it wasn't a personal endeavor. Now it was like they were just letting the things leave; guards too busy with their wine and concubines to care.

"Come, Mei," he called as he began to walk away.

"Mmm," Mei Fen hummed as she debated on what to do. She stood up slow and narrowed her eyes at the creature pinned to the ceiling.

"But such a pretty creature with such a pretty voice should be caged. It's just like a yellow birdie. I want to make it sing for me," Mei Fen said to Dark Sky. The small young lady sighed as if she was being denied a new toy. It was just like Dark Sky to keep her from being entertained. All he ever wanted to do was become the best.

"Shall we go into the city? There are many people there. I am sure we can find someone for you to defeat that will give you honor and renown," Mei commented as she came to Dark Sky's side.

"And I want some bubble tea."

"Wine," ordered the man who stood at the bar; his back straight and covered by a light armour of highly decorated leather. Atop his long white hair, a headdress sat upon his head and made two strands of his locks fall above the rest. This made him him the most noticeable figure in the room, for his culture and attire was far different from that of any other present patron.

His drink arrived, and he sat himself on a chair proudly as he drank. "Barkeep," he began saying, "Tell me of this castle of which I hear so much."

"Castle Vankoryth?" The barkeep replied, scratching a bald head. "Us folks stay away from that place. You should to."

Simi sat in front of the flame, giggling loudly every time she put her tiny finger into it. "It tickles Sammy!" She yelled. "Oh hush, you!" Sampson eyed the crowd, "How many times have I told you not to call me that!?"

As the waiter stopped to the side of the table, Simi swooped up onto Sampson's shoulder. "Leg of lamb, please. Rare, of course. Extra sauce. Steamed asparagus, with roasted potatoes." The waiter arched an eyebrow. Of course, it was a possible entree, but high and pricey none the less. These two occupants did not look like they could afford their order. "And to drink, good sir?" The waiter asked. "Wine, dry." The waiter left the table, and went to talk with the bartender. While they shared their whispers, Simi found her first distraction. "Ohh! Look Samp-Son!" She leapt from his shoulder, and pointed at the tall soldier sitting at the bar. "What a pretty hat! I like it! I want one!"

Sampson reacted quickly, and reached out to grab hold of Simi before she flew away. "You promised to stay close!" He emphasized with an extra squeeze. Simi couldn't move her legs, but she pounded upon his wrist. "Fine! Let me go!"

As the waiter reappeared with the glass of wine, he started talking to Sampson directly. Simi took this opportunity to go see about the 'Pretty hat'.

Fluttering around the soldiers head, with her tail dangling in his face, she began her thousand question a minute regular, "Hello there. Who're you? Where're you from? Where'd you get this hat? It's pretty, yes, yes it is. Can Simi have it!?" All the while reaching out and poking the hat with her tiny finger, then darting to put distance between herself and the soldier enough to avoid being swiped out the air. Simi hated when humans did that to her.

"Leave me alone you pest!" he snapped, threatening to swat Simi with his hand but never actually going through with it. He wasn't particularly keen on starting a fight when he was trying to listen to someone speak. Alas, the barkeep had moved on while the small woman was distracting him, so he simply went back to his wine and made sure to keep an eye out for the fluttering creature.

"It is not a hat, it is a headdress. An ornament for the hair and a symbol of my culture. You insult me with your accusations of hat-ness! If I was not in such a good mood I would strike you for your distinct lack of respect."

Simi sat down upon the counter top, legs circled before her, and rocked excitedly, "Oohh... headdress! Dress for head!" She giggled uncontrollably, "Simi get it!" The dragon couldn't help herself, she found other people so intriguing.

Sampson looked to the waiter as Simi fluttered off, apparently the owners of the establishment wanted their money before they cooked his food. 'How typical.' he thought as he dug out his coin from behind the cloth wrap around his stomach. "Here." He said as he dropped 6 gold pieces into the waiters' hand, "That should cover the meal, your tip, and then some." The waiter nodded his head and took off. As Sampson reached for his glass, he spoke to Simi, "I think it's your..." He paused. Where the hell did she go now!?

As he searched the room, he caught a glimpse of a purple spot flying about a mans' head. At the same time that the patron swatted at Simi, Sampson jumped from his chair and made his way over to his companion. "Simi! What is it you're bothering this man about?" He offered a polite smile to the gentleman at the bar; a noble man, Sampson would have to guess.

The mage Sampson sat back down at his table with the small demon. "You know, stupid pet, your going to make it impossible for us to be subtle!"

Simi fluttered from the man's hand to his shoulder, "But Sammy! You say we here to..."

"SSSHH!!" Sampson sipped his wine and rubbed his forehead, "Just stop talking for once. Listen, and think. Try to just think. Perhaps you could talk with yourself inside your own head for once."

"Sammy so silly." Simi spoke, but she knew when to take Sampsons' word seriously. She knew he was intent on staying within the limits of this village, Hollow.

For some odd reason, Sampson never told Simi why; however hard that is to imagine.

Together, the pair sat at the table. Sampson's food arrived. While he picked at his plate, Simi picked at his mind.

"I apologise if I seemed rude," he told Sampson and Simi as he passed their table, having quite disgracefully chosen to ignore the man and his strange little companion when they tried to communicate with him earlier at the counter of the tavern. "I had some urgent business to discuss with the barkeep and I could not afford to be distracted."

"Still, I am happy to consent to a little conversation. Tell me about yourselves; you seem to be a rather odd couple, if I may say so myself."

Around him, he could hear the Arch-Mage and the Vampiress talk about the voice of the world and the footsteps of yet another traveller entering, whom he quickly examined in order to assess. However, what kind of skills or powers they had was ultimately irrelevant unless they planned to get in his way later that evening...

Sampson took another bite of his food, and instructed Simi to keep quiet as the gentleman from the counter approached their table. "No apology neccesary!" He spoke through a mouth full of food. Swallowing the bite, he rose and offered a hand as he had seen many people meeting for their first time do before, a hand shake, he believed it had been called.

"Please sit, would you care for some food? I've paid the waiter off already, I'm pretty sure he takes us seriously now." This was the first patron that hadn't ran away after being bothered by his Simi. Even now, she was itching to jump from his shoulder and start interrogating the man again. However, she heard the seriousness in Sampson's voice when he told her to stay put. She could tell it was important for him to socialize with people his own size, though Simi still found them beneath her.

Sampson sat back down, and took a sip of his wine. "My name is Sampson, and you've met Simi. We're travelers, out seeking adventure that wouldn't seek us out first! Hah!" Sampson almost always used this as his job description, but never got a response in return to match his own. He took a bite of his meat, making sure not to chew with his mouth open.

He didn't take the hand, his too was a foreign culture that had no such gesture. He simply sat there, shaking his head to the offer of food and keeping an eye on Simi. He would rather she did not try to mess with his head-dress again, especially considering that it was so valuable in terms of gold.

"Seeking adventure. A noble goal of itself, but a dangerous one. I hope that you have trained hard in the martial arts if you plan to make your way through the world. I once did the same; wandering aimlessly, looking for fights in the places most avoid. It was a hard life, one that took the lives of several friends. If you stick with it, however, and make sure not to die, then you will make far more than you will lose. With an equal amount of enemies."

He seemed rather young for someone giving such experience-driven advice, but he offered no explanation. They would probably just have to settle on the idea that he, like so many others, managed to avoid ageing.

He looked across the room at the old grandfather clock just in time to see the minute hand hitting the half-way mark between 10 and 11 in the evening. He would move at 11 and use the hour to prepare. It was often a lengthy, time-draining and downright messy business that he was in, but his ambitions required it.

The old hooded man scanned the room and narrowed his gaze on the new figure that entered the tavern. He could sense a magical aura surrounding him - something of an elemental nature. Perhaps this young man could be of use to Sheodin and his pilgrimage...

The disguise the Arch-mage had carefully woven was holding true. Only a master of the School of Illusion would be able to sense something amiss about the frail cloaked man sitting near the fire. A vast arcane power was sealed within the dark brown robes like a lead suit holding back the power of a nuclear reactor. His true form would draw too much attention. For this pilgrimage to be fruitful, he needed solitude and silence.

A renowned Aryite Arch-mage walking through the door of a local tavern would catch a few unwanted stares.

Sheodin glanced at the oriental. There was a certain degree of arcane energy that radiated from the man - and a looming darkness.

"As of now I am searching for shrines and temples..." he returned his attention to the vampiress. "Anything that acts as a bridge for the divine or mystical to the mundane, and also places that share a strong affiliation for light or darkness. If you can point me in the right direction, that would be most appreciated."

Sampson pulled his hand back, looking at it truly for the first time, "I always saw that as a mundane gesture too!" With round eyes, he met those of the slim silvered gent. He resembled the warriors of his own Motherland; his advice rang true straight from his soul. Sampson's gift was reading people. That was how he had survived thus far, and what had brought Simi to him.

"Oh, he's good." Simi said into Sampson's ear. The boy nodded, "Here, here!" He rose the glass and finished off his drink. The boy was full, at last! It had been days since he last had his fill completely at a table. Traveling throughout different lands had taken its' toll in many different ways: the regular supply of food was the worst one. He wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin, and placed it atop the empty plate. Trying to come up with some kind of wisdom about life, Sampson froze instead. 'Wow, I must have really been starving to not notice this amount of strength in the air!' Looking first to the dark woman, to the two other patrons, and back to his silver sword friend, Sampson spoke next to Simi. "I thought you said there would be no bounty placed upon our heads for that... you know!" The dragon shook her head, "I did. Say 'did not happen!' So, din't!"

Sampson shifted in his chair, as he began to flush. "What kind of place have you brought me to, Simi!" This was a low enough whisper to avoid any set of human ears that would be listening, but there wasn't a single pair of those anywhere else in the room! The crazy little beast began to zoom around his head, this time she spoke with a deeper voice and illuminated darker in color as well. "You want eat, I bring you to food. You no want to eat the wolf that Simi ate, I ask you this! You say no, your hungry human insides don't eat wolf, but lamb. So we eat for Lamb! You eat all of LAMB!" "Shh!Shh!Okay..." He mumbled through grit teeth, "I mean the area, more or less the kind of lamb?"

He smiled and shrugged at his warrior, "Heh, heh. I'm not entirely immune to the ways of some others."

"You no trust Simi!" The small dragon crossed her arms, and pouted on top of Sampson's shoulder.

Demor took a drink of his water and sighed, his mind wandering again. He then turned around and looked at the Tavern. Well, the people in the tavern anyway. They all had some sort of magical energy within their bodies, he could sense it. He looked to the Old Man not too far away from him, and blinked, his draconian pupils adjusting to the light as he opened his eyes.

This Old Man had an immense amount of magic energy, though, he was hiding something... Demor wasn't sure what it was, but he sensed something interesting from the Old Man, and his curiosity overruled his other thoughts, and Demor moved over to where the old man sat, standing at what he thought was out of arms reach of the old man.

"I might be able to help you find some of those shrines you're looking for." he said. He had heard everything that was said in this Tavern since the moment he had entered it. "I pass them occasionally on jobs that I go on. Or I have to do something within them on some jobs." he said. Whatever was behind his back twitched, and made the cloak he wore move suddenly.

"Oh, where are my manners." he said, hitting himself in the forehead with his palm. "I'm Demor. A Storm Dragon Slayer Magic user." he said with a small bow. "And who might you be?" he asked.

The old man scoffed at the vampiress. "You and I walk two separate paths of mysticism... While you delve into the dark and forbidden arts of black magic and necromancy, I seek the wisdom and balance from the universe and its astral arcane forces. I do not seek those that dwell within the shrines and temples, or their sacred tomes, but to understand their connections to the astral plain."

Sheodin turned towards Demor. A smile spread across his shrouded wrinkled face. "That would be much appreciated... At the moment I am searching for anything that may have a connection to the divine or mystical - either dark or light. And I am no one special... Just a simple traveler and scholar."

"I must leave now," spoke Dark Sky, his voice a little more cautious. The speech of temples, necromancy, dark and light magics and other such similar subjects made him think again about the idea that what he planned would be as easy as he thought, especially if the others around him happened to be after the same thing. This, however, he highly doubted. What were the chances that they too had business where he was going to search through and revive the dead that interested him? Small, most likely, but Dark Sky was a man who left little to chance.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Sampson and Miss Simi."

He bowed a little, then stood up straight and left the building with his head held high.

-

Just as the Yaojing left, the Demon entered; a beautiful man of the Incubus variety, who was here not to feed, or to seek partners, but because boredom demanded it. Because with the power and charm to take everything he could possible want in the world through discretion or force, Ripper felt unbearably lacking in things to interest him.

A single, black, steel like blade pierced from the tip of his index finger and he dragged it over the surface of the nearest table on his way towards the counter, his entire ambience like that of a student wishing he did not have to walk to his next class, but found himself doing so anyway through lack of a better option.

"Does someone here wish to bring me entertainment?" He asked, eyebrows raising as he struggled to open the lids below him. He leaned back against the counter, facing back towards the door and slowly undoing the top button of his coat as though warm.

Kethyr Naethus sighed and went on his way, paying his tab and slinking into the night.

Winne Rineswurth loudly scootched her chair an inch closer to Awinita.

Ulrich Paternosta stepped into the warm interior of the tavern. He gave it a quick scan and grunted. She wasn't anywhere in sight; good. There was something off with Ms. Tauvyr as of late. More off than usual.

Stone and Boyle followed in shortly after. The pair of vampires sort of taking in the sights of a rather rich looking drinking hole. "Nice. Nice. Hey Stones! They got the nice chairs! Take a peep at them!" Boyles made his way over to a table. A chair with rich velvet cushions that he ran along his hand. "Look at that. Feel that. Good right?"

Stones followed in not even giving the chair a look.

"Ish fine." He said bluntly. He moved to the sight. Taking in a strong nostril fill of something. Hm.

"That one." he pointed to a bottle behind the counter. A cup? "No. That one." The whole bottle? Okay... He uncorked it and began to drink it very greedily.