|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:54 pm
 |
|
|
 |
((Continued from here))
The horse ride was....well it had been unexpected, to say the least. But in Alex's mind, time was of the essence. He needed answers, he needed help, and he needed it as quickly as he could possibly get it. He still hadn't the slightest clue, not even an inkling, of what it was that he should say to Medea when and if she allowed him to speak to her. Most of what had happened in the past few hours were a blur in his head, and his state of mind wasn't exactly improving as time went on.
Still, he tried to think clearly and rationally, which wasn't at all what he'd been doing earlier when he'd decided that this was the best course of action. He tried to come up with a plan, even as the wind whipped past his face. Soon enough they had entered horsemen territory, a place that Alex had never been, and he wasn't sure that any student had since that first night of their arrival. It gave him a slightly unnerved feeling, like he was doing something that was illegal and incredibly wrong. But the horsemen seemed to approach the school all of the time. Was this really that different?
Probably.
Alex had leaned forward and wrapped his arms tight around the emaciated horses neck, frankly more then a little bit nervous about falling off, willing the ride to end and for them to reach their destination.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:07 pm
|
|
|
|
Salbei did a good job keeping his Mount in a full gallop while making sure Alex didn't fall; it was easier to be a rider himself, for once. The Lost Clans territory was reached, and the Sage ignored the looks he was getting from his fellow Horsemen as he sped though, spurred on by the desperation his young friend had shown. He could deal with the others later; he just wanted to fulfill a promise.
The emaciated Stallion eventually stopped in front of what seemed like a main tent. Salbei was quick to dismount, turning to help Alex off of the saddle; once free of it's riders the horse was dismissed, diving back into the ground in the same manner it had appeared outside of Amity's gates.
"I hope you get your answers." He murmured to Alex, keeping a thin hand in a firm grip on the boil's shoulder. This was his land, his tail was on the line, and so he was going to try and prevent the young one from rushing in. He lead the boil towards the tent, clearing his throat to call loudly.
"My Lady? May we speak with you?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:53 pm
|
|
|
|
Finally, the horse shuddered to a stop, and Alex really could not have gotten himself off of the thing any faster unless he had just forced himself to fall out of the saddle and onto the ground. As it was, he accepted the horseman's help to dismount with a tight lipped smile, his jaw clenched tight and his body trembling faintly, though whether that was from the ride itself or the circumstances that had brought him here was questionable. There was no denying that he was barely holding himself together at this point. Panic tightened his chest and threatened to make him break down anytime his thoughts drifted towards what might be happening to Yin, and to the others that had gone missing. He'd been checking his phone at any moment that he could, getting the updates from seeds and finding out that there were indeed others besides the weremantis and Amphi that were MIA. Even now, once he was on solid ground once more, he pulled his phone out of his pocket again, giving his own update on what he was trying to do, before pocketing it once more.
"Thank you, again." Alex's voice was still strained, as though he was trying very hard not to show any emotion but was failing at it miserably. "I won't forget that you did this for me...even if she won't speak with me...I am in your debt for helping to get me this far." In a horseman's debt. Really, it was the last place Alexander wanted to be, but if it meant the possibility of getting answers, and of getting his bonded back....
It was worth it. A million times over.
He followed Sal towards the tent, stopping when Sal did, casting a glance towards him, a mix of nervousness, worry, and desperation. But there was something else there as well, something that had been seeing him through to everything up until this point. Determination. He would not give up until he knew what had happened to the missing students.
And so he waited, with the overly tall, emaciated and robed horseman by his side. Waited for Medea, and hoped any answers she could provide, if any.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:49 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:06 pm
|
|
|
|
It might have been mere moments before the head priestess of the lost clans made her appearance, but to Alexander it felt like much, much longer. But when that one slim hand parted the entrance of the tent open, the face of the horsewoman he had been seeking appearing, he tensed up even more, if that was possible. Brave? More like desperate, but he wasn't about to stand here and argue the difference.
He let the the two horsemen have their little exchange, again trying to compose his thoughts, to figure out what he was supposed to say. Sal's hands on his shoulders were an unexpected but not unwelcome comfort, though that tension never left his body.
He was suddenly very aware that what he was doing might actually be quite dangerous, and wondering very much if he was foolish to feel any amount of trust for the Sage standing at his back.
He waited for Medea to address him, to be looking at him before he gave her a dip of his head, almost like his own form of bowing, though the gesture likely just looked awkward on him. He was not known for being overly polite, unlike Yin...
No, he couldn't let thoughts drift to him now or he'd find himself breaking down when at the moment he needed to be strong, to find out what exactly had happened. He licked his lips before he spoke, his mouth suddenly feeling quite dry, and his tongue much too big for his mouth.
"I came seeking answers, and...I think you probably already knew that." He replied, trying to look the priestess in the eye as he spoke, hands curling into fists that trembled faintly at his sides. "I'm here because something happened today. Something that you were involved in. Can give me answers? Will you?" He wasn't sure if this was the best way to start but..trance? How could that even help him now unless it could show him the way to finding those who were lost? He would keep it in mind, if it was necessary, but really he just wanted to be able to know what was going on, to be able to ask straightforward questions and get the answers in kind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:30 pm
|
|
|
|
Medea's smile was nothing short of patronizing. However, she waited patiently for Alex to finish before unfurling the tent folds a little further. "I believe this conversation is best left away from eyes that seek to pry. Come inside, little wanderer, and speak to me your full concern."
Inside, the pyre was crackling lightly, flames a mixture of orange, white, and green. There were no actual seats other than simple mats on the ground, of which the Head Priestess took a seat on one, beckoning the others to follow. "Breathe deeply, it will help soothe your Fear."
Indeed there was something about the actual pyre, the incense within it taking immediate effect as both occupants felt less on edge and more relaxed. It was as if they were talking through a dream-like tunnel, as if everything was okay to say all at once.
"Now," Medea's voice came through in a odd, hypnotic tone. "Tell me exactly what happened afterwards, and then I will give you answers."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:07 pm
|
|
|
|
If her smile was patronizing, Alex didn't really notice, and he didn't really care. He was too nervous to care, too full up on conflicting emotions. At the offer to enter the Priestesses tent, he had to steel himself before shuffling slowly forward, pushing past the tent folds, feeling as though he was walking straight into some kind of trap.
The inside was not exactly threatening, however, so he took a seat as she had indicated. He eyed the Pyre wearily. Breathe deep? That was the last thing he wanted to do, once she told him that he should, his brain screaming at him that it was a very bad idea to do so. But..in order to talk, he would need to inhale anyways, so was their any point in fighting it? No, he took in that breath, and immediately felt it's effects.
He was...relaxed, calm, his mind almost seeming disjointed from his body, hazy. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and held an almost dream like quality. All his quick planning, all of the questions he had tried to organize in his head quickly fled, leaving him blank, and just wanting to speak without hesitation.
"Afterwards." He murmured. "After we all dissipated, many of us awakened in the Nurses office at the school. Many, but not all. Five are missing that I know of. We want to know what happened, if the hunters have taken them, or if they are safe somewhere else. We want to know how to get them back. We want to know what it is that is under the school, what it's importance is, why the hunters are there and what is being hidden. We also want to know about your sister." Once he had started to speak, he felt like he couldn't stop, and so everything he wanted to know came out at once. The 'we' was not because Alex had suddenly decided to start talking in the third person. We was he, and his friends, and those who were a part of seeds and had requested these questions be asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:47 pm
|
|
|
|
"That is quite a feasible level of concern," Medea almost seemed to croon at them, as if nurturing a small plant, "I can see why you sought out my advice. I am however, simply a priestess of the Lost Clans, everything you saw, everything involving the students and Hunters only happened due to paths unfortunately colliding. It was and still remains beyond my capability and restrictions."
Thankfully, the incense seemed less intoxicating, a little bit more of reality slipping slowly, piece by piece back to the undead student. "It is unfortunate that your fellow students find themselves lost, and even more unfortunate still you heard only a glimpse of a fated story of the past, but there is nothing more I can do for you, not here, not now."
And, as if the pyre had a life of their own, the flames dulled to a dark grey simmer. "I can do very little for you," Medea repeated, clearly, her words so tangible, obvious, "Yet, there is still much you can do for them. If you wish to walk this path, you cannot however, look back."
The Head Priestess held out her hand, open, beckoning. "If this is the path you desire, the path to save your friends, then I will require your hand in binding."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:26 pm
|
|
|
|
Alexander was confused. She had been there. She had been the one to put them in the trance to show them what was under the school. How could she not have the answers that he required? His feelings turned instinctively towards mistrust at her words. She had not answered a single question. However, the feelings of desperation were returning. The calm from the fumes of the pyre seeming to recede. Still, he could not bring himself to make this commitment with so little knowledge of what it might entail. More questions were rising to the surface.
So many questions, but he only asked one. He swallowed heavily before asking "Just me alone? It can't be a group of us?" If he had the choice, he didn't want to do this alone. He was not a hero, not a knight in dented armor. He was nothing but a boil, a teenager only on the brink of becoming an adult. He eyed her hand with some amount of suspicion.
He wanted to save them, yes. Even if the only one that he knew of them all was Yin, he knew that the others must have had friends and family, others who cared about them, others who loved them. "If it has to be me, and me alone...then yes, I will do whatever it takes to save them, and to bring them back home." He reached his hand out tentatively towards her. It was probably a terrible decision, and one that he would regret. But...really at this point, what did he have to lose?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:53 pm
|
|
|
|
"Young ones, so fearful, hesitant, and yet willing to rush in at the first sign of danger to save those they care for. It is an admirable path, enviable, and should not be punished." Slowly and firmly, the High Priestess pulled Alex's hand along, right into the center of the pyre.
While normally flames and undead really did not mix, at the most, the flames tickled, the appearance itself more harmful than the actual effect. Medea held on tightly, surprisingly strong for such a delicate figure. "Do not struggle, it will be over soon."
And indeed, seconds later, she let go. Etched on the back of Alex's hand was a simple sigil: a simple black reverse spiral.
"This is simply a mark of loyalty, nothing more nothing less. It is to remind you of your promise, to yourself, and your loyalty to your friends. When you are in danger, when the time is right, call to it, and I will assist you in what you seek the most. However your path is still unclear, even for yourself. Find what you want more than anything else, the single path ahead, and then call for me. I will come for you then and assist you, all of you, who seek my guidance."
Even for Lost Clans members, Medea's words were often vague at best and challenging at worst, and this was no exception. The Head Priestess however, simply smiled at Alex's lost expression.
"It never has to be you alone, but one must rise to rally the others before they move forward, do they not? Remember that there are eyes that watch us, so pick your allies carefully."
At least those words were more than clear enough. Rally the forces, away from prying eyes, then call to Medea.
Seussi - Alex has been given quite a daunting task - he must find those willing to fight back and rescue the missing students. The best way to do this is through CELL PHONE TEXTS - CELL PHONE TEXT NETWORK: Simply create an ORP and label it however you wish. Start off with Alex texting as many people as he knows with a time and meeting place. Then once he has, those people can text as many more people as they want and so the cycle continues as as many students as possible gather together. When they are ready, perhaps, something about the calling to mark on his hand....?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 12:16 am
|
|
|
|
Her words slid through a mind gone suddenly numb with fear as his hand was pulled into the pyre. He waited for the burn, the pain, for his entire body to burst into flames. Waited for something that, curiously, never occurred. That did not stop him from struggling, from attempting to pull away once he could see what she intended, his eyes closing tight, his teeth gritted. If his heart could beat it would surely have pounded out of his chest at this moment.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over, and he was left with eyes blinking open to a mark on his hand, one that reminded him of the demon mark that Yin possessed on his, only of course, much much different.
Her words took some time to sink in as he stared at his hand in disbelief, eyes flickering towards her, trying to focus on what she had to say even while his emotions continued to wage a war inside of him. But this was important now, and he nodded at her as if he understood, though he wasn't quite sure that he did.
At least the last of what she had to say made sense. Rally the forces. Be a leader. Alex, a leader? The thought alone was too much, too hard to believe. He'd always been a follower, the straggler at the back of the horde. He differed to anybody who he felt had more authority to him. But the intent in her words were clear. He needed to do this. To save them, this was his task.
He rose unsteadily to his feet. "Thank you." He said it with as much sincerity as he could currently muster, cradling his marked hand against his chest as though he could actually feel the pain of the fire that had never actually burned him.
"Sal. Will you give me a ride back to the school now, please?" Cool and pale grey eyes moved to rest on the Sage that had brought him to this tent. "I think I may have some work to do."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:33 am
|
|
|
|
Salbei had been doing the equivalent of sitting there twiddling your thumbs; only he felt the slight rustling against his robes was a little too loud, so he stopped that immediately. Instead, he only imagined he was twiddling his thumbs under his robes. He hadn't the faintest idea what Medea was up to, but when she did her binding he did pause his mental distance to watch curiously.
Hopefully Alex didn't ask him for further insight; he had nothin'.
"Of course." He agreed to Alex's request easily enough, the sound of fabric rustling and trinkets chiming as he got to his bone feet. "Lady Medea, it was an honor as always." He settled into a bow before the woman, straightening moments later with a fox-eyed smile. "Please excuse my short visit, My Lady...but it seems I have a little one to take home~" He made himself sound like a babysitter because, well...he kind of was.
They excused themselves and upon exiting the tent Salbei summoned his horse as he had before, helping Alex up first. With that he spurred the beast to life, eventually galloping back to Amityville's gates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
