-=-The Realm-=- Open and accepting.

[Tanaquil_night]

"I was talking about my gifts, dear shadow not your..." She did a little finger wiggle as she took her place at his side. "...powers."

She watched him as they walked, letting silence take over as she usually did. But this wasn't the same as it had been when she'd walked with Coursabal. Not, not the same at all.

Though she had to admit. Seeing him change back to the way he had been before might be fascinating, but this new other side had a straightforwardness that she respected. She wondered for a moment, still keeping pace, just what he'd think if he knew about her promise... her oath.

Maybe he'd help her...

...or maybe he'd kill her.

She still didn't know enough about the being that was Pedrius to be able to tell. And she was still far too weak to be able to do it on her own. She shuddered. Weak. White walls and beeping machines.... weak.

"Pedrius... can you move?" Again she shuddered. Her dark eyes were looking away, focused on the passing landscape. She didn't need him to see how scared she'd been when... "On the outside... in the Otherworlds... can you move about?"  

[ManagerKyoto]

Without shifting his gaze from the mountain top in front of him, Pedrius knew that D'artra was milling something over. Just trying to muster the courage to ask some possible redunant question. Yet when she spoke, he could not help but sigh.

"There are two things about you that I have jsut learnt. One, you have sent to long in this Realm. And two, the person that educated you on such matters is an idiot."

After that, Pedrius did not say anything. Instead he stopped walking and turned his gaze slightly. There was a moving energy signature, big and evil. But not big enough for Pedrius to handle. Yet with it's current speed, he would not reach it's current location in time to engage it. Shrugging, Pedrius continued in his orginal direction.

"Back home, I can walk. You can walk. All of the players can walk. If you were not able to walk in the real world, then you have sent too much time here. This place, this reality, did not always exist. It was created by a crazy scientist in the early 5th century. We have him to thank for everything. You have him to thank for Coursabal and this place to hide from what is really troubling you back home. Yet, despite what life is like back home, you have to go home and face the problems head on. Otherwise..."

Pedrius stopped talking. He had already said too much. No doubt her until world was just shattered.  

[Tanaquil_night]

"I have met the first..." Her voice was eerily quiet. A soft drifting shadow of light and dark. She couldn't hide another shudder as it tore a path up her spine, causing her to take an almost shaky breath.

Yes... she remembered meeting him. It was just about the only thing she could remember. Everything before was just an insubstantial dream. None of it was clear, or real. It was like trying to watch a burning building through the smoke-filled night from underwater. It wasn't her she was seeing... but a strange child that had died all those years ago. She remembered him... because it was the day she'd met him that had been the day she'd been 'born' into this world.

"...but I don't even know... what 'home' is... I... I don't even know if I have one." Her dark shadowy eyes were focused on the ground before her feet. As if she were having a death-stare with the passing dirt as silvery hair drifted amidst her face. "I tried... I did. I tried to keep my promise to him... but after the first two years... when it wouldn't take me back... I just... I just gave up on it... It's not like it mattered in the first place... I guess it's kind of pathetic, really..."

She wondered why she was saying all of this. and why to him? It wasn't like he understoon anyway. He couldn't possibly begin to understand what her life had been about or what it was like. So why was she trying? Trying to reach out to him? he was just going to judge and lecture her, no matter what she said. That's what they all did. Selfish. Everyone was just always so selfish. Her whispery voice dropped a little bit, became barely audible as she finished with an almost meek tone, "...who tried to return to a place they can't even remember...?"  

[ManagerKyoto]

Pedrius smirked. It had been a while since anyone mentioned the first or even hinted at not being able to return home. For a moment, Pedrius contemplated sending her home right now, with the right blow on the right spot. But he restrained himself. The urge to kill would be released soon. Yet, not soon enough.

"Ah, age old Magnus. The demi god himself. Most important players have a run in with him at least once, if we are lucky. And if we are lucky, we even get to fight him. Man, I must be about 26 years since our last encounter. I lost, of course, but I was fun."

Pedrius stopped and looked at D'artra. At her silver hair. Her dark shifting rodes. Her black eyes. If ever Pedrius knew someone needed to go home, it was her.

"And it would be just like Magnus not to give clear instructions on how to get home. It does not matter if you know where you come from or if you want to get home, you have to re-enter your body. If not, your body dies and you end up like him. Trapped forever between the two worlds. He proberly said that you just have to wish yourself home, but that does not work. Death is the only real way. Not just death of the body. But death of the mind. Your mind has to be removed from this worlds body. That is why when I kill players, I go for the thraot."

Pedrius reached out his right hand and lightly poked D'artra in the throat. Slowly retracting his hand, he quickly stiffened up. The big evil energy signature was on the move again. This time it was heading towards the base camp. Quickly, Pedrius cast a similar but dark spell on his cloak. The dull grey matterial quickly became black demonic wings. He extended his left hand towards D'artra.

"If you want my help in returning to your body, then take my hand and come with me. If you want to stay here with the dogs and that druckard and use the power of this place to remain alive, then walk away. The choice is yours, make it now!"  

[Tanaquil_night]

"Alive?" She laughed, slipping her pale hand into his without hesitation. The dark cloth of her dress shifted down her arm once more, twisting and coiling in glee. "I haven't been alive since I died."

She shifted so she was closer to him. Unafraid. She didn't want to go back. Didn't want to return. But she needed to get stronger. Needed to keep her promise...

That way, when she decided to do it... she could make it as quick as possible to those of this wonderously cruel world. It would be her thanks. When she was strong enough, she would find a way to do what no one else could. She had sworn an oath.

"I want your help..."

...to keep my promise... and finish my goal.  

[ManagerKyoto]

Pedrius held onto D'artra tightly as he quickly took off towards the base camp. His wings pumping furiously to get the pair across the great expanse was fast aspossible, but they were not straining under the added weight.

Yet, there was something askew with D'artra's response. There was something else driving her motives right now. It was not something evil, otherwise PEdrius would have felt it. Whatever it was, it prevented Pedrius from seeing into her mind.

"You want my help with what? I will not help anyone or thing without knowig what I am helping them with. Now, tell me or I shall release you from my grip and leave you to your own."  

[Tanaquil_night]

Large dark eyes shimmered up at him through wafting strands of silver. For a moment a look of deep contemplative thought claimed her feminine features, then she smiled almost sadly. "...to get stronger."

There was no hint of doubt nor lie within her wispy voice. Indeed, why else would she ask for his help? She didn't squirm, or try to grip at him. There wasn't a hint of fear in her entire body at his threat. Far from it, for instead she actually seemed a little more relaxed.  

[ManagerKyoto]

The pair rocketed across the skies with ball blistering speed. Within a minute they were above the base camp. It was surrounded by a large thick wall. On this wall there were many sentries, all armed with various dark weaponry. But they were fixed in their outward gaze, unable to turn around and help deep within the compound. This would be their undoing.

The base camp was not designed for aerial assults, nor would they suspect one. Pedrius hovered high above the compound and held D'artra close.

"I can not make you stronger. Only you can do that. And that is not the help that I am offereing. Yet, right now is not the time for such help."

Pedrius looked at the ground below him. There was some milling masses and siege weapons. For now, all of them had to be silenced for now. But with all of the workshops, any deaths or destruction could easily be reserved. Pedrius looked into D'artra's eyes.

"In about 20 seconds, I am going to dive bomb at the base camp. I am going to release you as I do so. If you have any sort of spell that will either slow your decent or will make the impact less them what it will be, then I suggest you use it now!"

As Pedrius said this, he held her out in front of him so that when he released her there was no possible why she would upset his plan.  

[Tanaquil_night]

stare

There was something about this 'plan' that she just didn't like.

For a brief moment she chewed upon her lip. She wasn't looking for a quick way out or a shortcut. She wanted to learn. Was it really so hard to comprehend such a concept?

She didn't know about spells... but she did know how to roll. And she relaxed her body further. Being tense would only end up putting her in a greater deal of pain than was needed. She ignored the tight strain in her chest, the sickening scab easily covered by the flickering black cloth of her gown. The cloth itself seemed to twist against the wind, as if in anticipation...  

[ManagerKyoto]

Pedrius could tell from the look in her eyes that she was ready. Quickly, he let go over her and backflipped into action. His backflip was more of a backwards dive straight at the ground below. As he fly down, Pedrius continued to pump his wing furiosly inorder to gather momentum. To gather speed. From the fricton of the air particles, his armour started to become super heated and yet he still continued to pump his wings. Pedrius had turned himself into a missle.

With great force and energy, Pedrius made contact with the ground below. The heat that was gathered in the armour acted as the spark for the explosion stock pile at the center of Pedrius' landing zone. Flames and shrapnel rocketed forward. When Pedrius made contract with the ground, it shook. From the epicenter, the earth appeared to rise up like a wave and ripple outwards. The ground troops were caught of guard. Some of first casualites was from shock rather then being hit by something.

As the ash, dust and other assorted fragments started to settle, Pedrius slowly arose from the crater. The red glow from his armour slowly fading back to it's pitch black. His sword, still the same as before, was held tightly in his left hand and he surveyed for any potential threats. At first there seemed to be none.  

[Tanaquil_night]

D'artra felt gravity take a very strong hold of her and pull. She fell, like a fish on a line she was pulled downwards. The it happened... her body stiffened and she felt like she'd been flushed down a privy-hole. Icy fire raced over her body and she bit back a groan as she was kicked from her own mind...

...A moment later and she was gasping for breath, her dark eyes wide and tear-stricken as she looked up at the face of a man in a white coat...

"C'mon, Deckiartra, time for thearapy..."

~*~~*~~*~

In the realm her body fell to the ground, tumbling and rolling until it came to a crashing stop against the base of an old tree. She didn't move, and for a moment she seemed almost dead... And then the black material about her began to tighten and wash over her form, abandoning her clothing and painting a laceword of spider-web designed black. It was a vile blackness to balance and hold in the pure holyness of the body.

Wearing a plain gown of cottony gray her body stood, glancing about almost dazed. She was gone from the mind, leaving it for the 'gifts' to control until her return... thus was the price for catching their eyes.....  

[ManagerKyoto]

Pedrius watched D'artra fall towards the earth and slowly change to be a weird gray. It mattered not, she did not hold much to his plan. Glancing around, the remaining forces started to become wise to Pedrius' current position. Reach across with his right hand, Pedrius gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. Instantly the blade because alive with hell fire.

"Any of you sad SOB's even think of coming towards me and you will feel my wrath. Now, where is your leader!"

From somewhere behind him, a large fel beast lurge at Pedrius' chest. And at the right moment, he swung his sword around and made contact with it. The fel beast was cleanly sliced in two. The two halves fell and hit the ground, but not before bursting into flames similar to that on the sword. Turning around and glaring at all that was there, Pedrius spoke once more.

"I said, where is your stupid leader!"  

[Tanaquil_night]

D'artra's 'body' brushed away the twigs and leaves from her skirt before dark eyes glanced about. Her hair was now streaked with black, just as her face and skin was marred with the unholy web of darkness. For a moment a sadistically beautiful grin crossed her features... and then she started towards Pedrius, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of a wrist.

"You should know where already..." Her voice wasn't one, but two voices. The voice of pale white innocence overlapped by the dark twisted shadow of a richly vile tone. "...the smell is in the air. Physically and Psychically. We were giving you more credit than that, really we were."  

[ManagerKyoto]

Pedrius looked at the "disfigured" appearance of D'artra's body. The black web and dark streaks were testiment to a sudden shift in her conceinious. And for the first time a long time, Pedrius was mildly frightened. Shaking it off, he focused on the task at hand.

"Of course I know where their pathetic leader is. In fact he is on his way back here now. And should be bursting through the southern gates in about 5 minutes. It was a test of these soldier's resolve. The weakest ones died when I landed and then any that ratted out their leader would have been struck down."

Pedrius shifted the grip on his flaming claymore. It's ancient blade completely alight and ready for more slicing. As he did, the southern gates burst open right on que. And through it, the base camps leader came charging upon his demonic steed. When he saw Pedrius, the leader quickly jumped off his steed and charged on foot. This dark armour clinking and clanking with every step. In hands were two large battle axes, baring the scars of many battles.

But Pedrius was one step ahead of him. At the right moment, he swung his claymore straight at the leader. And from it came a giant fire ball. The speed of both entities was such that a collision could not be avoided.  

[Tanaquil_night]

D'artra's body took half a step back and just watched in dark neutrality. the whites of her eyes were completely black now, and it would be silly to say what, exactly, she was looking at, for she could have been looking anywhere and it still wouldn't be apparent.

After a moment and the initial start of the battle she let herself turn her head to regard those about her. Fascinated and slightly bored she turned attention back to Pedrius. Maybe there would be more to this than first expected.

~*~~*~~*~

Pain, twistting and gnashing at every cell in her body. Tears streaked down the sunken cheeks of her pale blotchy complexion as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. It hurt. She could feel her body bruising each time the hand "gently" touched her flesh. Felt the muscles burn with every motion she was forced to make.

She wanted to scream, and at first she had, but it had caused her throat to tighten until it felt like she'd been swallowing stones and glass, ripping and tearing another sort of pain throughout her body.

~*~~*~~*~

As bruises began to form on her body in the Realm those blacker than black eyes easily remained fixed upon her surroundings.