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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 5, 2017 20:22:57 GMT -6
"If you know what this means, then you know what I am."
The man looked unimpressed, folding his arms before him. "We have fought dragons before. And killed them."
Leaving out whether or not that was true, her patience was rapidly slipping, and her natural aggressiveness slipped out. "You haven't fought anything like me. If I have to turn this desert to glass, I will."
Now it was his turn to be uncertain if she was bluffing or honest. To his credit, no fear or concern showed on his face, drawing a... small... degree of grudging respect from the dragon, but neither did he back down. "All who trespass on Alin territory pay the price of passage. Man or dragon, it matters little."
...Okay, they weren't exactly reaching a conclusion here, but it was SOMETHING. Better than 'we'll cut ya mate' and better than her 'ILL FUKKEN GLASS YA MATE,' albeit not by much. Nayru sighed. "And what is this... price of passage?"
"The life's water." His answer was prompt, absolute. Also: unhelpful. It was possible he was implying blood and that was a roundabout way of saying that they were all gonna die anyways, but the way he said it - his tone had turned almost reverential for a moment - made her feel as though there was more to it. "And what is one's... life water?"
"Blood," he responded immediately, making her feel very stupid for assuming anything else. "Or sweat. The sands are eternally thirsty and there are many ways to slake its desires." ...Also not helpful. "You may pay with your friend's blood, if you like."
"f**k off."
There was no room for argument in her tone, so he turned his gaze to Remus instead. "And you, cloaked man. What say you to spending hers?"
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Post by Remus on Jun 6, 2017 10:35:48 GMT -6
We have fought dragons before. And killed them."
Well that was a terrifying prospect. How exactly did they intend to get past people that just casually killed dragons? This made Remus just a tad nervous. If only because he had never seen Nayru have to fight as a dragon and he was worried about any situation that could've raised the potential need. This caused him to perk up a bit at the notion of a price. Life's water? That made almost no sense. Nayru had asked the question on his mind already, and thus had clearly been on hers. The young Etrurian's heart dropped as the man so abruptly spoke of blood. Not that Remus was concerned to share his own blood. It was just...
"Or sweat. "
Well that wasn't as bad. Though, and perhaps a bit macabrely, he felt a bit reassured at the option for Nayru to pay with his own blood instead. Not that he was eager to die..but when ever barbaric rituals of blood magics or customs were mentioned the imagery and notions of cutting ones hand or wrist or arm to offer a deposit of blood was generally considered. The priest would've happily done such a thing twice over to spare Nayru from spilling her own blood. Hadn't she done enough of that already? Hadn't he seen his friends bleed for him enough? It was only fair, and right, if he bled for them. For once.
And you, Cloaked man. What say you to spending hers?
That...made him angry. A small part of the priests inner self seemed to rouse and rile at that. As if a tiny flame perpetually flickering in the darkest of voids had just grown a bit larger. Remus was able to keep most of his smile in-tact but it did lessen into an ever closer resemblance of a frown. The Preists tone shifted harshly however from a kindly one to a far more severe one. His left hand fell to his aside with his right clinging Thyrus alone. If ever he'd spoken serious words, they were thus.
"I would sooner see myself spent and devoid of all life, and cast into the wind then allow anyone to spill her blood. Let alone on my behalf. IF a price of blood were necessary I would pay the toll. But...what do you mean with sweat?"
At this point the priest fell back into his normal self. Chuckling slightly as his left hand wiped at his brow. The gesture was slick and the priest lifted out his left arm as if to present proof of his case, while he found good humor restored to his mood.
"I'm...fairly sure that I've accumulated enough sweat by this point to create a lake haha!"
That...was actually fairly disgusting to imagine. And he'd said it, so now he was thinking about it. Gross.[/i]
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 15, 2017 17:38:44 GMT -6
"Well answered." The Alin warrior nodded, but made no other movements, either to escalate or de-escalate the situation. Nayru felt kinda like he was waiting on something, but she didn't really know what he was going for. She certainly wasn't an expert on f**k**g crazy sand people customs. She'd never even met a damn Alin tribesman before today.
"So... are we doing that fight to the death thing, or you gonna let us through, or..."
He stared blankly at her. "It is not in our way to take the easy path out of tribulation. Struggle makes a man strong. It is the way of the desert; the strong survive, the weak perish." That... sounded a bit too much like 'yes we fight' to her. "But neither is it wise to waste one's water without meaning. That is not the way of the desert, either. He who wastes, dies."
Nayru groaned. "Can you just put that in normal people talk?" The man, somewhat out of character, laughed loudly, uncrossing his arms and slamming his fist into his chest. "Hah! You understand. Time is wasting." In one fluid movement, his robe came off, exposing the powerfully built body beneath, covered for modesty and little else. "Representatives of each tribe, then. You fight for the right to pass. I fight for our honor. No magic. No monsters. Only man against woman. We shall each shed our water for our side, and the winner shall own the other's. I guarantee your companion's safety regardless."
...Alright, now they were talking her language. assuming he wasn't trying to set them up, he was talking about a one on one fight, winner got what they wanted. Nayru rubbed her left shoulder, mostly healed now, though a little sore. She grinned. "And when I win, your tribe can leave in peace."
He threw back his head and laughed. "Good! That is the spirit." His hand dropped to a holster of sorts at his side, pulling a strange blue knife out of it that shimmed in the light of the sun. "But do not grow overconfident. They say that is Shaitan's gift."
Turning to Remus, Nayru smiled as comfortingly and encouragingly as she could. Clapping him lightly on the shoulder with her better arm. "Hey, it'll be fine. Just believe in me, alright?"
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Post by Remus on Jun 19, 2017 13:26:36 GMT -6
Yeah he definitely didn't enjoy this culture. If he ever had a say in the alteration of Etrurian culture he was going to make sure that "Murder Rituals" were definitely not going to be a part of them. Remus had a hard time actually understanding what the indigenous male was speaking of contextually but he was grateful for Nayru to just..ask what he meant. The fact that the male took light of her response and abruptly de-robbed had Remus feeling a bit concerned and, upon noting that the male looked as if a statue cut from fine granite, a bit more self conscious as he quietly clutched Thyrus a bit closer and tried to ignore his fairly frail build. He didn't have any real way to..assert his own masculinity but it was rare and a bit unnerving for him to feel so self-conscious.
Though Nayru seemed to know what he meant and Remus was growing to understand as well. Happy that it was Nayru who stepped up to take this challenge, the priest was more than understanding that he himself was not particularly suited for this..."challenge." Nayru's reassuring palm upon his shoulder caused him to beam up at her brightly. If there was anyone in the world he trusted with his life over all others was Nayru. So if at any point he had to bet on it, it would be her and he would happily cheer her on regardless of the outcome. The priest brightly lifted a hand from his staff to place it on her palm to convey his understanding. "If there was anyone on this world I had to believe in Nayru, it'd be you. I know you'll keep us safe!"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 22, 2017 10:20:55 GMT -6
It did NOT take long to regret the whole 'trust me' schtick - not just because it sounded a lot cheesier than it had in her head, but because trusting her tended to be a one way ticket to getting wrecked when she inevitably disappointed them. But uh, first time for everything right? Grinning wryly, Nayru regarded her companion for one last time, feeling uncannily like an inmate on death's row despite not actually being that scared of losing the fight. Well, at all, honestly, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. She shook her head. "Yeah... that's what I was afraid of." A small, harsh chuckle, and the female dragon turned her back to her friend, physically and to a degree mentally, as she focused on the fight at hand. She wasn't ACTUALLY worried about losing to a couple of bumpkins, but as she had learned the hard way during her time with Veigue, that didn't mean they couldn't hurt her at all.
The Alin leader(?) smiled openly as she approached, betraying neither guile nor malice that she could sense. It was an honest, almost - childish sort of joy, she kinda wanted to say, unrestrained pleasure that she had risen to the challenge - or maybe the idea of being able to kill a dragon. She decided to try to think of it as the first one. As she approached the man, he threw his cloak to the ground, hefting a small blade that shone with all the colors of the rainbow in the golden aurora of the sun. Well. He was pretty ripped, anyways. and half naked, pretty much just his modesty and not much else. He was a desert native after all, he would prioritize mobility and know how to fight on sand - a powerful combo against an unprepared opponent - but it wasn't like she hadn't danced upon the dunes before herself.
It took only a moment to decide on her approach before Nayru slipped into her default krav maga stance, realizing that this was no place for sparring and holding back to the point of harmlessness. If she killed him, so be it, she didn't plan to if she could avoid it but she got the sense he certainly wouldn't hesitate, so neither could she. Deep breath. In. Out. Bringing her arms up - offensive, defensive; becoming the instant in which both are simultaneously possible - the embodiment of action, cloaked in a veil of stillness.
The tribal warrior was not intimidated, and his slow, purposed movements exploded into a flurry of action as hers did, the crystalline blade moved at speeds faster than thought, almost seeming to carve through the very air itself in a deceptively lazy arc. An impaling spear of light to sidestep, her left foot leaving furrows in the sand as the blade barely missed her swinging hair, mere inches from her face. A slight tinge of pain in her left shoulder - Remus's healing having worked miracles, but even miracles took time and effort, and there simply had not been enough time yet to completely heal. Perhaps for a human. But her draconic essence flowing through her, the magic circuits, they were not as easily repaired with healing magic. Some of it would have to come from her.
His own right leg came up, meeting her left forearm as she deflected the blow, flowing into the motion and bringing her right fist forward in a lightning fast jab that he twisted around, unable to bring the blade to bear immediately in the close in combat but far from disarmed or helpless. She didn't quite see the left knee in time, forcing her back a step, but dropping and bringing her elbow down on it both allowed her to avoid the scything blade, now above her head, and forced him down as well - though not enough to bring him to the ground entirely, which would have ended the fight immediately. Bah.
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Post by Remus on Aug 22, 2017 20:37:14 GMT -6
Remus had seen Nayru do amazing things. He'd seen her do things no human could manage. Though, that was rightly so since she..wasn't human. Still, it was amazing stuff! The lapis haired priest was absolutely confident in her, and his life had been in her hands quite a few times before. This time certainly wasn't any different. Besides. hadn't she dragged his sorry rear through countless miles of horrible Nabatan desert already? He couldn't let her off the hook so easy as to just lose some fight and not take him where they were intended. Remus tapped his staff into the sand quietly, tip of Thyrus puncturing the sand and breaking the silence with that wonderful sound that he'd gotten so terribly used to. And by wonderful, he had more of an inclination to throw himself from the tallest cliff on Elibe into the deepest trench if he had to listen to it for much longer. Seriously, who bothered to -
Gah what's that light?
Such a strange complaint coming from the man who had functioned as a literal walking torch. The glittering blade exposed by the strange tribesman was exceptionally unique. One he'd never seen the like of before. The priest was curious what reason he would tote such a thing around. Was it made of something special? Perhaps it was something akin to other ornate blades. It wasn't bejeweled though, it was made of crystals. That made it different. Perhaps it was a status symbol? He knew that most cultures had some form of standing or fixation on niceties being symbols of office. Though the tribe seemed different, the same could hold true to them. The priest was just hoping that neither he nor Nayru had to find out if it was special or not.
Ah yes. Nayru's exceptionally proficient fighting skills. Every time he saw her he felt just as amazed as the first. She was able to push herself well beyond what humans could do. Despite her being well..inhuman. Perhaps it was because she assumed human form? Then again now, he was more or less seeing humans of peak physical condition more or less. As in, that thing he'd never reach. Thusly, the priest shifted weight onto his staff and tried not to let the torrent of emotions assail him. The excitement and fear all clutching equally at his heart and lungs. Who knew. Maybe he'd die of a heart attack with grey hair before he ever touched old age. Between Nayru and Amelia, it sure looked that way.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 19, 2017 5:34:18 GMT -6
Too low to easily regain her height and unable to move as quickly as one already on his feet, Nayru simply went with the flow, dropping one palm to the ground to steady herself as her body rotated into a quick sweep, her bare leg scything through the air like a blade that the Alin chieftain leaped with contemptuous ease - though she was still moving, rotating faster as she exerted her strength, completing the rotatation as her other leg came up at him again, closer to groin height. It met his left arm, a hasty block, but stopping the burst of momentum staggered him enough to quell any chance of an immediate counterattacl, his crystalline blade still, glimmering uselessly above her for a brief instant.
As she pushed off of him, forcing him to the side, a small grin flickering across her face clued the man into the first leg snapping back and rising powerfully into him as she twisted, landing a solid strike on his midriff, bouncing off the ground and kicking again all at once to send him flying bodily through the air from the consecutive bursts of brutal force as Nayru regained her feet in one sinuous motion. They were past the point of talking, of arguing; she would have finished it in that instant if she could, but the realities of inertia meant that even with her contorted movements it still took precious moments to halt her own movement and regain her balance, and while her opponent was far from unscathed he was already righting himself midair, twisting around with a naked smile plastered on his features and bloodlust staining his eyes.
She followed fast behind, dashing with a burst of draconic power that left a cloud of sand exploding from the desert where she had been standing, but in that time he was already landing, on both feet, like a cat who had taken a leisurely leap. Brandishing the blade. Almost pirouetting in place as he used the solidity of the sand to arrest his momentum. Leaning into her attack to counter it. At the last moment, he - didn't, dancing to the side with spritely grace, bypassing the attack entirely, leaving her to recover like a drunken hippotamus as her own speed worked against her. Not so inhibited, he lunged after her, knife scything through the air as the double-timing dragon worked to find her footing and parry his hand with her own.
Again and again - the blade came down, moving almost faster than she could see, but her body moved faster than her mind, acting mostly on instinct. Again the blade came dow-but there was no blade, his palm naked against the desert sun, and she hardly had the time to glance down before the crystalline blade was already lancing for her heart. Nayru twisted to the side, barely evading it, but in the same moment it was already moving at her again - as if it was in two places at once, already inches from her throat and flailing hand - without time to dodge or hardly even react it was all Nayru could do to intercept the blade with her reinforced arm, hoping to block it well enough to-
Blood spattered across her vision, staining the golden sand crimson as she fell backwards, avoiding the worst of the blow but far from unscathed.
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Post by Remus on Nov 19, 2017 23:52:44 GMT -6
Remus was made increasingly more aware as time went on just how inept he was physically compared to these too. Tracking their movements was hard to really process. Even when he'd enhanced his own physical prowess prior, he'd had a hard time comprehending and keeping up with everything. Seeing Nayru maneuvering and moving like she was alone would've taken most of his efforts to focus. The fact that this man, as far as he knew a human, could contend with and even press to her in a fight was astounding to him. He didn't know humans could attain this caliber of prowess honestly. Remus clutched Thyrus to him tighter when he saw the blade start reaching closer and closer to Nayru. The way it tore for her directly made him shift slightly as if trying to evade. There was a point there. A singular stop in motion upon which Remus felt his pulse both quicken, and seemingly cease. The sight of Nayru's arm raised and the knife sinking into it. An internal explosion of emotion tore at him.
What manner of weapon did this man have? Was Nayru okay? Who or what was this person that could harm her with such confidence?
Would she survive? Had the fight reached its conclusion at that injury? Could they leave?
Then, there was a smaller part of him. A part that ignited that very explosion of emotion. The same part that caused his knuckles to whiten when his grip constricted with every ounce of strength into the unyielding shaft of Thyrus, his nostrils flaring slightly as the priest sharply inhaled. That small part of him might just have been the loudest. He also had to repress his instinct to lean forwards and reach out his hand.
How dare he! She needs healed! Strike him down!
Remus's gaze narrowed and he looked to the man. His desire to instantly try to assault him with as much light magic as he could mixed and matched only by his desire to tend Nayru's wounds. The lapis haired priest let his left arm raise slowly as his look shifted to one of concern. There was a sudden rush around him as he closed out every aspect of the world beyond just him and Nayru. His mind rushing inwards until it felt like he was slipping away and everything became a white silence internally. Then it all came rushing back with a soft warmth. Not an overwhelming oppression like the Nabatan heat, but a comfortable warmth. Though hard to see in the light of the sun, his body was aglow as magic responded to the call of his commands. The Priests hand illuminated as the air stirred to life around him filled with that holy magics that he commanded, his intent being to mend the injury and try to if anything at-least sooth the pain. The blade might've pierced her but he could assist at-least! Until, that was a very large hand wrapped around his wrist and half his fore-arm and his view of the fight was cast into the shadow of the man who obstructed him.
"No. One of each tribe. No magic. Only strength. Yours is not of the desert. Watch and wait."
Again, he felt an instinctive mental backlash. As if something spurred him on. This man's grip on him was as if he'd suddenly been bound in iron shackles for his one limb, yet he felt a defiance in him. As if he could potentially shake the man off and try to heal Nayru anyway if he cast him aside with magic. If he struck fast enough, maybe...Wait. What am I thinking? This isn't me. Nayru can do this. She can pull through. Just don't...get too worked up.
The priest reluctantly nodded his head, to which the man did not relent. It was only once the flow of magic had halted and his body returned to normal and the air quieted that the man allowed the young Etrurian to lower his hand. At this point he sighed inwardly and tried not to shake his head but instead would pray, for Nayru, and her safety.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 20, 2017 1:31:43 GMT -6
The blade only kissed flesh lightly, but everywhere it went burned like liquid fire, carving through flesh and disrupting her magic alike. Nayru wasn't an expert on human weapons. She didn't know if it was a magic weapon, or a cursed one. If it was especially good against dragons, or forged of some strange alloy that could cut through anything. She wasn't even sure if it was just that her hasty physical reinforcement had been insufficient against the radiant blade. In the end, it didn't matter. It was capable of cutting her regardless, and the skill with which the man used it ensured that no matter what the explanation was, he could most likely repeat the act. And the next time, she might not be lucky enough to sacrifice a mere portion of flesh and blood; if it severed her throat or a major artery she would lose both the fight and her life.
...Oddly enough, the first seemed more pressing than the latter. It didn't FEEL in character for her, but over the last few years Nayru had found her perceptions warping in ways she struggled to keep up with. No longer viewing combat as an embarassing necessity. Judging those who enjoyed it. Had her mind expanded, able to see her own narrow mindedness, or was she going mad with stupidity? She would have to think about that, uh, NOT in the middle of a life or death fight, the dragon decided with a wry smile as she parried the hand holding the crystalline knife once more, not quite willing to risk trying to parry the blade itself after what had just happened. While her forearms were far more strongly reinforced than the more vulnerable upper arm that had been cut, she still didn't understand the wewapon's abilities.
Nor did she understand how the knife had seemed to be, as far as she could tell, in two places at once. Unless there were two of them, but Nayru didn't see how that could work, the man had clearly only been using one the entire fight, and the incredibly unique profile of the blade had looked the same to her with both simultaneous slashes. Was it some magic he used that allowed him to duplicate the blade, or a property of the weapon itself? Seeing her hesitation, the tribal warrior merely smiled and pressed the attack, forcing her to either meet his renewed assault or throw herself at his mercy. At least THAT was an easy choice.
The next time he lunged Nayru returned the favor, dropping beneath the attack and attempting to push is arm upward as she shoulder-checked him; halfshifting or no, she had more than enough strength to arrest his momentum and drive some of the air from his chest with the punishing blow, though he was not weak willed enough to be felled so easily, and the look in his eyes clued her into the falling blade that she had to throw herself to the side to avoid, planting one hand to the burning desert once again - this time with a splotch of wetness, her own blood - as her right leg swung back around in a reverse kick that smashed the man's arm against his body with a crack. Trying to hook around him and drag him down to the sand with her, but he bent out of the way like a willow in a hurricane, temporarily disarmed but far from defeated.
Ignoring the twinge in her arm - why did it have to be the LEFT f**k**g arm he'd cut - Nayru pushed back off from her handstand, landing mostly on her left leg as she pursued the momentary advantage with a trio of quick kicks from her right, the first parried by the tribal warrior, the second landing in his midsection with no semblance of restraint, the third barely avoided as he used the momentum from the second to backpedal out of range.
Rather than fear though, his face held only amusement and a fierce joy that belied his enjoyment - an untempered fearlessness in the face of anything that might happen. She couldn't say as that she... LIKED him, but Nayru did find that she was gradually developing something akin to a grudging respect for the backwards buffoon regardless of how much trouble he had caused for her and Remus. Not that it meant she was going to go easy on him. Or, uh, vice versa. It was still weird facing a human who could actually do much to her.
Nayru charged nonetheless, albeit with a significantly more restrained approach than her reckless dash from before, and in turn this time he met her head on as the fight grew far more close and personal. While disarmed, he was far from helpless, and while injured, neither was she. If anything the bastard was even slippier without a weapon to split his attention, parrying and counterattacking each fist, elbow, knee, and kick she delivered - forcing her back for a moment here, twisting around an attack there, dampening blows he could not avoid. He didn't see the leg sweep coming but she didn't expect him to react so fast, and for a moment they were both entwined on the ground, but before she could draw an advantage with krav maga he was already rising, and then he wasn't, tripped by another leg sweep, and then her fist erupted in a plume of sand rather than crushing his skull and his kick to her back threw her off balance for a moment.
But while it was not exactly a pretty art, ground fighting WAS her specialty, and while he was quite capable of it, it was clear that he was more accustomed to knife and motion. They hit each other almost simultaneously, fist to jaw, but where his strike from his back was weaker, hers cleaved his head into the sand with enough concussive force for it to bounce right off, arresting his movement as if the world had fallen on him, and that was all it took for her to mount him and strike again - true this time, her right hand encircling his throat with a grip that would make a cyclops blush as her right knee pinned his left arm to the ground near the elbow and her left arm held his down at the shoulder.
"Yield," she said, still breathing heavily, only belatedly realizing how much of a toll that had taken, and the gasping man mixed a hoarse chuckle into his desperate gasps for air. "Ha! A good fight." The tenseness in his body was seeping out, and while not entirely sure this was a wise decision Nayru cautiously weakened her grip, allowing him to breathe freely again. The man made no movement to free himself, instead looking at her with a skullish grin. "You move like one born of the desert, outsider. Spend my water as you will, woman. You and your companion have earned it."
Still with the f**k**g blood crap? Nayru grimaced, glaring down at him for a moment as she seriously considered doing exactly that, but instead abruptly stood - though she probably didn't HAVE to step on him in the process, and that part could be said to be a little petty. She shook her head. This... dogmatic bullshit was not her deal. Too religious. "What are you talking about," she asked innocently, the clouds on her face clearing as a small smile grew instead - one Remus might recognize as cheeky instead. "I already paid the water debt, didn't I?" She motioned her good hand towards the dimming splotches of blood some meters away where the previous clash had been, and after a moment of silence the tribesman burst out with a great guffaw as he sank back into the desert.
"Ha! I suppose you did." Well. She was glad HE found it funny as hell, but she didn't entirely share the sentiment. Nonetheless, glancing at the tribe still gathered loosely around them, she saw a few nods and none looked too dissatisfied. That was... good. Sparing him left the tribe with leadership, and equally importantly ensured that no hot-blooded idiots might try to take revenge upon Remus in the process. "...This IS my home, though, and I've lived here a lot longer than you."
Grinning with no small degree of pride in her victory, Nayru extended her good hand towards him, and after a moment of contemplation he grabbed it with both of his, hoisting himself upright with some effort. He seemed more or less alright despite the obvious wear, and completely amused with the entire proceeding. "Otheym's the name, then. From one child of the desert to another. You've proven your mettle; you and your friend have my countenance. There'll be no more trouble from me or mine. What business have you in the desert?"
Otheym. Hm. "Nayru," the dragon returned after regarding him for a short time, finally satisfied that the battle was well and truly over. The second question... it was clear that this man knew more than a little of dragons at the least, but she didn't know how much, nor what the tribesmen knew "...Returning home" was the vague answer she settled for, met by a knowing smile on his face. "The city that does not exist, eh? Of course."
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Post by Remus on Nov 20, 2017 4:12:43 GMT -6
Remus kept a firm reminder constantly perpetuating through every interval that transpired while he witnessed this fight. A reminder that Nayru did not need his help. Something basic that he should have known, honestly. However he was quick to let his concern override his better judgement in these instances. Doubly so given the apparent consequences to any intervention on his part in the slightest. So he waited. Waited, and watched. Something that was exceptionally difficult to do. He did not take pleasure in it but he knew it had to be done. The priest quietly observed, fear seizing his heart at almost every other moment. The ones that it didn't, it certainly caught his breath like a lump in his throat. The priest clasped with tightened grip at his stave with even more renewed hope and prayer and will, knowing that was all he could offer Nayru. If only hopes and dreams was really enough to save the day.
It might not've been, but he did know what would be. Nayru's extremely proficient close quarters combat skills. The priest's palms relaxed ever so slowly as his breathing began once more. At some point that'd just ceased entirely near the end of the grappling and dancing around one another. So when the desert chief started laughing and Nayru started speaking to him in tones that implied the danger had passed, he breathed a heavy sight of relief. Then a second one twice as heavy just for good measure, and to get his lungs working again. Now that the danger seemed to pass, Remus focused on the first and most important thing. That wound. He did not leave the spot he stood from initially but instead lifted his staff. Almost instantly releasing a pulse of soft warmth once more as his mind locked down with enough decisive certainty as a colossal portcullis smashing closed. Every last aspect of his thoughts fixated on the wound itself as he flooded the wound itself with light and warmth until the healing magics had started the process that he knew too well.
Had he the time, he might take it gingerly. Probing it and examining to conserve his stamina. However he was in such a still slightly frightful state that he simply wanted to assert that he would not allow her to remain injured if he could avoid it. That, or maybe it was his way of trying to comfort himself. He'd been useless, a quiet spectator that entire time. To him it was painful to watch, unknowing as to what would happen to her even if he should've known what the outcome would be. He still despised being helpless. It simply was not a situation he could seemingly escape. Those distracting sentiments though were inconsequential alongside the sheer scope of his desire to see her mended though and thankfully he could dismiss them for the immediate. His own personal misgivings were no where near as important, and he would not let them be.
Remus approached only after he'd done well enough to mend the wound on her already injured hand. Not entirely. Nayru had explicitly stated that he had to conserve his stamina. However he wouldn't let her simply walk about with a giant gash if he could avoid it. Now it was at a state though where bandaging it could tend the rest, even if it was far more likely to scar still. That was him forcing himself to measure restraint though. His initial decision to blindly drown her wound in healing essence came at a disadvantage from his position. He couldn't see the wound. the depth. Length. Dimensions of an injury were important to know how much of his own energy to use for mending it. Without that he had to supplement knowledge with more power. Which would have tired him out faster had he not stopped when he did. His experience with healing could only do so much if he was trying to limit himself after all.
Quiet steps brought him closer to Nayru's side while he clutched at his staff still with his head pivoting merely an inch or so and his gaze more focused on his female companion than the fairly intimidating(to him) male who had just given her a run for her money for quite an impressive time. His tone still somewhat laced with shaky concern or maybe even a splash of anxiety, but otherwise fairly "Remus-y", "Right so...er...we are...safe now...then?"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 20, 2017 20:00:40 GMT -6
"Safe!" Otheym guffawed, clapping the priest on the back with what was probably supposed to be a gentle touch, but uh, wasn't. "The sands are always hungry, friend. There is no safety. Only survival." Backing off from the group as he moved to recover his crysknife from the sands a short distance away and holstered it in one fluid motion, he looked back at the dynamic duo with a grin that threatened to crack his face in half. "Besides. You yet have one trial remaining, eh? Speed is a device of Shaitan. The faster you rush into the storm, the faster it will swallow you. May you find the path quickly and-" his smile only grew, "-safely."
Sky but he talked too much. Like a much larger, less adorable, dude, mostly naked Elly... ok not at all like Elly actually when she put it like that. Nayru managed a grimace-slash-smile as the man of the dunes, still laughing at the humor of something he did not share, but probably that shitty joke about safety, accepted his cloak from one of his companions, and the group disappeared almost immediately over a dune - the sound of their passage evaporating almost immediately. They did not appear again.
"...Shoulda hit him a few more times," Nayru piped up, her voice masked in morose vindictiveness. "Beaten the stupid right out of him. Ow." Remus's healing certainly helped with the pain but the soreness was gonna stick around for a while, alongside aaaaaallll the other soreness that she had already not wanted to deal with, at all, ever. "Thanks." She rotated her shoulder within the cuff, moving the arm back and forth, testing the muscles and ligaments to see how freely she could move. It was... not the worst thing ever, at least thanks to Remus's healing, but still sore as hell. She was definitely going to need to get some real rest tonight, not that meditating bullshit.
"He's not wrong, though," she said after a moment. "There's still one problem to deal with, but this one I prepared for so it... probably... won't be a problem. Maybe." She couldn't entirely hide the dubious note to her tone, but didn't explain further. "How are you holding up, Remus?"
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Post by Remus on Nov 20, 2017 21:17:02 GMT -6
Now. He'd been clapped on the back with Nayru before when she put a bit more unf into it. She generally held back so it was manageable though. This wasn't quite the same. He felt like he'd been legitimately charged between the back by a moderate sized human, directly between the shoulder blades. His legs instinctively locked in response to the force of the clap as he nearly went rigid in an attempt not to be sent downwards. At this point the tip of Thyrus was also pressed into the ground and centering him somewhat in a bit more additional of a manner. Remus's body quaked slightly before he straightened. The guffawing of the darker skinned male and the jovial way he essentially said "You'll probably die if your not careful" in the same indirect way as ever spoken thus far did little more than vex the etrurian priest. Remus pivoted slightly as the male talked about this "Shaitan" again. He wasn't quite sure who "Shaitan" was but they sounded like a proper uncouth individual.
Then they were gone. Suddenly enveloped by literal sand and earth and Remus was stuck with so much confusion that he wasn't quite sure what to say initially. Nayru's tone broke him of his stupor though when she mentioned hitting the male more, which forced out a soft chuckle from the priest before he laughed quietly and pivoted his head towards her with a warmer expression. If anything, a bit more Nayru and a bit less murderous sand pugilists was a welcome tone to the conversation. His hands lightened in grip from Thyrus as the priest quietly tapped the staff once or twice in his old habit before taking a step or two around just to loosen up his legs from stiffened state of anxiousness. "Ahaha..well..they say you can't fix stupid, but it sounds like you would've given it a grand attempt. Ah er..and don't worry about it! I just wish I could've been of more help. "
Nayru's observation about the sand-man's statement however would've caused him to frown had she not assuaged his concerns with her statements conclusion. The question he could answer though was her next one. One that he grinned quietly in response to before gazing directly to her. "Well. While traveling into the middle of the desert to find a hidden and hitherto unknown city of dragon civilization with my best friend, the dragon in human form, I've seen colossal monstrous nightmares that spew molten fire and light and heat from their bodies and crush rocks like paper, a tiny lizard that is seemingly harmless when left alone that ran with a mouth the size of my hand, and then heavily muscled very large men burst from the sand to assault and potentially enslave or kill us. All things accounted for, not the worst experience I've had on one of our ventures. Probably the longest, but not the worst by any means. So I'd say pretty good all things considered, yourself Nayru?"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 21, 2017 6:09:31 GMT -6
"What's this?" Nayru's amusement, the moment of danger long past, seeped into her tone. "The unshakable priest, holding a grudge? Sandman over there musta hit you harder than I realized." Hehe. The desert brought out an interesting coping mechanism in Remus, she thought. A mix of sarcasm and stress that taxed his patience and kindness. Or maybe he had just been joking, but his sarcastic quip about their journey's course so far pretty much sealed it. While a little disconcerting for the meek priest to strike back verbally - albeit in a harmless and good-natured way, he WAS still remoose after all - she decided she liked it nonetheless. It almost felt as if he was a little more comfortable with her to be able to act like that. Orrrrr maybe she was overthinking this... enormously... yeah who knew.
Eh, whatever. The dragon snorted with further amusement, tempted to smack Remus on the back and see if he transformed into the Incredible Bulk or something, but decided against it - probably not one of her better ideas all things considered. "Well, you'll be happy to know there's a lot more walking to go, then! Speed may be the, uh, device of shaitan, or whatever, but last time I checked it's also a pretty good way to not dehydrate in the middle of the fuckin' Wastes. And uh, welcome to the wastes, if I forgot to say that earlier. No one with a brain goes out this far, so you just get sand people and dumbasses like us."
The actual journey onward was a mixed bag; the dunes fell away for a time as they reached rocky land again, but a chasm of the distant passed forced them to follow a path down into the abyss - which was still perfectly well lit, and honestly, a lot less miserable than having the sun beating down on them 24/7. That, of course, led to another canyon, and honestly things just stayed pretty well rocky and hard and a mixture of sun and shade for a while there.
It wasn't until at least an hour later that they crested anything resembling the surface again, the weather overhead slowly growing windier - and this time they were not alone.
Almost as high as the eye could see a massive storm rose into the heavens, an impenetrable wall of dirt and dust and sand and wind that dwarfed almost any natural sandstorm in both size and speed, the screaming howl of the wind and cast-off debris making both sight and sound difficult to travel far. Nayru was no stranger to sandstorms, she had been caught a few times and crossed them before - but the sheer size and ferocity of the familiar flow of seemingly apocalyptic proportions always sent a rush of adrenaline through her mind and body alike. It was - humbling to remember that no matter how big you were, no matter who you could punch in the face, you were still a worthless fuckin' stain on Elibe compared to mother nature's farts. She liked the irony of it. Putting one of the most peaceful places in the world inside one of the most dangerous natural hazards on Elibe. Someone had gotten a laugh out of that one. She still thought it must be the great-granddaddy of all earth dragons taking a nap to cause something this big, but no one else seemed to think so.
'Course that thing would flense the flesh from the priest's bones in short order. Damn near did her in too the first time her dumb ass had thought she had the stamina to get through. But hey, what's a little suicide pact between friends? "...First rule of sandstorms, keep your mouth and eyes covered as best you can. More sand and dust you breath in, more damage it can do to you. If you're unlucky enough it can blind you too. And... take this." Drawing the pendant Kenshin had given her, Nayru hesitated for only a moment before offering it to Remus. "If anything goes wrong in there... you'll need it more than I will."
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Post by Remus on Nov 21, 2017 18:51:46 GMT -6
Remus laughed quietly at her comment before clasping his staff and pivoting himself somewhat to stretch. A series of barely audible rippling pops traversed the length of his spine before he looked back to Nayru with a dumb grin that only he could've produced. "Haha, not a grudge! Just observing the overall tone since our departure and noting that I've had far worse experiences. Nearly falling to death was still scarier than anything thus far I'd say! Besides, I can't say too much negativity given the time we've gotten to spend together! Even if it's been a change of pace with you as the one bleeding alot, which er, we should try and fix!"
He glanced once more to what was probably the unluckiest left arm in the history of arms. From there he tuned in to what she had to say next as she started to speak again. his chuckles abundant and unrestrained at the mention of this "Shaitan" again and his agreement with her statement of what was now obvious. He grinned at the situation itself before he tapped his staff quietly into the ground and clasped his hands tighter to it for a moment before he lifted it somewhat. A final small moment before they trek resumed where he imbued further healing magics into her. Sure, he couldn't make up for everything she'd endured, but if he could get her as much as possible to tip-top shape then he'd take it. A momentary pause in which he exuded healing magics to try and soothe her damaged limb as a whole before nodding to her and following her once she began to move. Though he was quiet for most of it. If only to preserve himself and stay hydrated. Though Remus heard the rumbling before he actually realized what it was.
Awestruck didn't quite cover it. After all, the priest had never seen a natural disaster in earnest. So something like this? Perspective adjusted. The monstrosity was like a wall of sand that angrily stirred. Remus gulped once out of reactive fear, then a second time to try and swallow that fear. He was listening to Nayru intently, but his eyes never left what lay ahead. Until she offered the pendant to him. He clasped it for a moment, and then decided to actually fasten it on before trying his best to wrap himself up. He paused another moment before nodding solemnly to Nayru. His fingers whitening from the tightness of his grip on Thyrus before he exhaled slowly, inhaled, and then exhaled again. The staff faintly pulsing with a blue aura that glistened before crystallizing along his skin as a barrier flared to life. Though he felt it needless, he tried to offer the same for Nayru. Even if she was used to this(somehow) he wanted to try. He'd no idea what to expect, but spoke quietly.
"I'll..do my best. And er..follow you too. I'm not sure how to keep my eyes covered entirely and see where I'm going so I guess I'll try to keep my head down. Also I will ah...keep the pendant close. I take it that it's special? "
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 21, 2017 19:09:58 GMT -6
"Well, assuming no one whacked it with a hammer or anything..." Nayru's lopsidedly wry smile was a few steps short of genuine, betraying her lack of total enthusiasm, "the pendant is an Arcadian design that wards off the storm and the enchantments it is suffused and sustained by. This storm is the last line of defense on a couple levels. It can kill most humans without a problem, but even for the more durable there are magics woven into it that confuse and misdirect the unsuspecting, ensuring that you will always end up wandering back out rather than in."
...It could kill dragons, too. At least the unprepared. She... knew that too well, even if it hadn't happened to her. But the storm wasn't REALLY built to keep out dragons, after all, and those with the durability, stamina, and sense of direction could navigate it with effort. No. It was meant to keep out humans. Nonlethally if possible, with the misdirection. But - it was certainly capable of doing far worse to an invading army. "So." She continued, shaking off the feeling that something bad was going to happen as best she could. "Here's the deal. I know where we're going. You have the magic glowy bubble thing that makes this just uncomfortable instead of lethal. You stay close to me, I stay close to you, and we SHOULD get through this in an hour or so."
Yeah... should. What could possibly go wrong? Unlike a normal sandstorm, you couldn't just dig in and wait this thing out. While the exact circumference, height, and radius varied, the storm was eternal - a great grandfather of a cyclone that had raged for centuries, unabated in its ferocity. You either made it through, made it back out, or you died. Those were the only three options that existed for anyone. And she was dragging probably her closest friend into this. Ah well. Plenty of time for regret later, eh?
Nayru gently placed her right hand on Remus's shoulder, as much to calm her own nerves as to reassure him, though she'd rather wander naked into the storm than admit that to anyone else, much less herself. "When you're ready, step into the spider's parlor, little fly, and I'll make sure we're going the right way."
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