Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on November 28th, 2015, 6:56 pm

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Continued from More Unexpected Work

Day 53 of Fall 515AV

Brandon had no idea just how long he sat there, comforting the ghostly endal as if she were a little girl, letting her cry until she could no longer produce any tears. Where she touched his skin the bat felt cold, but he had refused to let it bother him, lost in thought himself while he let his body do the comforting for him. Eventually she broke the contact and floated a couple steps backwards, dragging Brandon back to the present world. “I’m sorry you had to see my like this,” she muttered, cleaning her face with the sleeve of her ethereal sleeve of her katinu.

“Though I’d like to thank you as well. It seems I was stuck in a delusion created by my own mind. Thank you for pulling me out.” The Kelvic made a “don’t mention it” gesture while getting to his feet, finding that one of his knees was sleeping. It buckled, sending him into a kneeling position for a bit. “Say, chiet-”
“Brandon,” the thief interjected, standing up with one knee feeling like a sandbag, inspecting the parts of skin that had been exposed to the ghost’s touch for an extended period of time. They were blue and pale, but otherwise nothing seemed amiss. “Brandon then,” Amora accepted, “can I ask you a favor?”

“I suppose. Depends on what you want me to do for you.” The spirit nodded, seemingly agreeing with that kind of logic. “Would you mind bringing my bones to Wind Reach? I’d like my body –or what is left of it- to be buried with my fellow Inarta; in the heart of Skyinarta.” The bat thought about it for a bit; Amora’s body had already served its purpose of being a source of food for the wildlife, and bones weren’t really fit for eating, nor did they rot very well. If they could all fit in the rucksack he was wearing then there wouldn’t be a problem at all; but if they didn’t it would be a royal pain.

“Alright then. Only yours or your eagle’s too?” the bat queried, already gathering up the bones nearby and depositing them in his rucksack. “You think Chaqe is dead?” Brandon shrugged. “I’m not sure. I only know Zith were clinging to just about every part of him they could grab. Even a Wind Eagle would have a hard time getting all of them off of his body.” Amora looked distressed, but thoughtful. “I- I suppose you’re right, I do remember seeing-” suddenly she stopped, frowned and stared at Brandon as if this was the first time she’d ever seen him. “But how do you know that? How did you know about everything that had happened?”

Brandon grinned, extending his left hand and displaying his gnosis mark. “I’m an agent of Dira,” he clarified, “I could see your last moments. I’m fairly sure her mark has something to do with it.” The endal nodded slowly, face hoovering right above the scythe shaped tattoo, one lone finger prodding it gingerly. “Hmmmm…” she hummed, but made no further comment. “Your eagle flew that way,” pointed the bat, “if I recall correctly.”
“Sounds about right. It’s on the way to Wind Reach, so if Chaqe died I think we should find his remains in that direction.” The Kelvic agreed, and after having collected every part of the skeleton they could find, the duo set off in the direction Chaqe had flown to.

It wasn’t really comfortable to walk with a rucksack filled to the brim with bones; they prodded in the thief’s back, and more annoyingly they rattled, creating too much noise for the bat’s liking. “What will you do if we do find him?”Bran spoke up out of the blue, earning him a troubled look from his ethereal companion. “I… don’t know. I can’t really carry things in the usual way anymore-” she’d noticed that during the gathering of her own body parts “- and I tire quickly if I make them float… You don’t have any more space in your backpack, right?” Brandon shook his head almost unnoticeably. “I suppose we could just bring his skull. That’s where his soul resided when he was alive, so…”


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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on November 29th, 2015, 6:02 pm

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After the two had settled on just bringing the head of the Wind Eagle –not that there had been much discussion about it really- and the for a while they just traveled in silence. Until Amora decided to break it, that is. Brandon couldn’t really blame her, from what he understood she hadn’t had any company in about a whole season, even though she claimed it hadn’t felt that long. “So, if you are marked by Dira, why are you just a chiet?”
“I haven’t told a lot of people about it.”
“But still. Dira marked you because you are skilled, right? So why are you a chiet?” Brandon grimaced at the connection Amora made between skill and getting a mark. “Honestly, I don’t think my skill had anything to do with me getting her blessing. I messed up pretty badly,” he confessed, “but to answer your question; it’s because I don’t have any skills that you people believe to be useful. What I do have is expertise in the ones I find useful.”

“Then, what do you do? ”
“I’m a teacher.”
“A teacher? You? An outsider?” she wasn’t buying it, and with good reason too. “Unarmed Combat teacher,” the bat added, ducking under a low-hanging branch. Amora just phased through it without noticing it was there. “Hm. Is it one of those fields of expertise you were talking about?” Brandon nodded, rather not wasting too much breath he needed to traverse the Unforgiving with the added weight of a complete skeleton. “So you’re good then? Think you could take me? I mean alive me of course.” The thief laughed, slipping off the slope he was trying to scale. “You? With one arm behind my back.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m an endal, you know.” She blinked over to the top of the slope, hands on her hips. “And I have yet to fight an endal who can hold their own against me up close and personal.”
“Liar. We endal don’t go down that easily.” The bat shrugged, regretting it instantly. “You’re trained in archery from when you were young. That’s where your strength lies. I will admit that the melee combat of the endal isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either.” Amora raised her brow, then dismissed it with a shrug. “Well, an endal has to be able to do more than just fight. Like surviving in the wild. Can you do that?” He shook his head. “I can teach you a thing or two if you’d like.”
“Sure, I need a break anyway.”

He swung the rucksack off of his back and sat himself down on a boulder. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, the muscles pleased with the lack of weight. “Okay, so there are three important things to always keep in mind when trying to brave the wild. Water, food, and shelter. You cannot survive without them.” Brandon nodded, crossing his arms. While he didn’t believe all endal could survive in the wilderness for long periods of time, Amora was an exception, since she’d said she used to be a scout before she was chosen by her eagle. “Water is the top priority. You can’t survive without water. You won’t last three days. Then come food and shelter. Shelter to hide from the elements, and to use as a base of sorts. To sleep, to treat your wounds. To stash useful items and herbs in.” They were pretty basic things, but the basics usually were the most important of all.

“And food, well, it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“Please don’t mention food again, I’m getting hungry.”
“Sure. How about I show you how to build yourself a nice campfire? It’s pretty important since it’s kind of tied together with f- one of the basic survival necessities.”


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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on November 30th, 2015, 7:44 pm

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“Making fire?” Brandon sighed, not quite thrilled by the subject. “This is supposed to be a short break, not an extensively long one. Making fire, in my experience, is tedious and takes way too long.” Amora beamed his a bright smile -she for one seemed to have become a lot more sunny than she'd been before. Brandon wasn't really sure if he needed that cheer at the moment though. “That's because you're not doing it right. I mean, sure it can take a while, but the first steps don't generally consume all that much times. A couple chimes perhaps.” The bat made a gesture to accompany his not very excited-looking face. “And I have already prepared everything you need while you were trying to get up here,” she pleaded, not giving up.

The bat just gave in, and the ghost vanished, reappearing a couple steps further away, letting some items float from behind a nearby boulder. She grinned widely as she approached, dropping all of them in front of Brandon's feet. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning. “You're going to do it,” she informed the Kelvic, letting a thin branch hover in front of his eyes. “Why?”
“Why? Because I can't do it like this,” it sounded too much like an excuse to be healthy. “And because you will remember it better that way. Chaqe always said that experience is the best tutor!” While the bat certainly wouldn't argue that last part, he really did not wish to attempt making fire again. It was a colossal waste of time, especially so if it refused to work.

“Yeah, no. I'll pass,” he stated, getting back on his feet. Amora pushed him back on the rock though -or he supposed she was anyway; he could feel her hands on his shoulders burning cold, but there was no pressure on those spots, or at least not entirely- her expression akin to the one Bran's mother had worn if he'd refused to come with her to train his combat skills. “Oh come on,” she begged, “we're not going all the way and make a real fire. We'll just do the first steps. You only have to follow my instructions.” Brandon moaned disgruntled, but she still didn't give it a rest. “Five chimes, and then we leave? Even if it doesn't work? Okay?” He sighed. “Five chimes.”

A gesture of victory was made with a slightly translucent arm, and the bat could only shake his head. For an endal she was too playful. And she just gave the impression of being rather immature too. He couldn't resist asking; “So, Amora, how old are you exactly?”
“I was going to be seventeen next Winter. Why you're asking?”
“That's quite young for an endal, no?”
She puffed out her chest proudly. “Yup! Can you drill a small hole in this log here? With your dagger, yes, like that. Don't make it too much bigger than this branch-” she lifted the thin piece of wood while Brandon followed her instructions. “And still you were a scout before becoming an endal?”

“Uhuh, truth is I haven't been an endal for long. I think it was two seasons ago Chaqe chose me? Yeah, something like that... No wait, it was longer..." She shrugged, dismissing the uncertainty without a second thought. "But I'd been apprenticed to a game scout during my years as a yasi.” Well that did explain a whole lot. Her attitude, her inexperience when dealing with the Zith, the belief she'd failed everyone. “Yes, stop. That should be fine.” The twig slowly drifted through the air and inserted itself in the small hole Brandon had made. Amora nodded contently. “Now you have to put some dry bark and grass or so in there. It catches fire more easily that way.” Brandon complied, stripping a couple twigs the ghost had brought him from their coat, placing it in the hole. “And now you just put this one in there-” the thin branch came floating his way again, and the thief snatched it out of the air and inserted it with a sigh. “Now I rotate this between my hands, I presume?” Amora nodded enthusiastically. “Yup. That is completely right!” She gave him a big thumbs up too.

“Gods damn this drag!” he cussed silently in Symenos, so the ghostly teen wouldn't understand.

OOCThought I'd practice writing conversations. Ghost girl pretty much became a teen on her own :/ Still, I think it makes sense :P


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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on December 1st, 2015, 7:20 pm

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Even if he really had no interest in getting a fire started, Brandon did do his best to rotate the twig as fast between his hands as possible, letting it spin rapidly in the small hole in the log. After a short while, smoke was starting to curl upwards from the base of the spinning piece of dry wood. Given some time, the thin trail became larger and larger, and Amora told the bat to stop and softly blow on the smoking bark. He did as asked, a flame erupting from them, much to the bat's surprise. “See? That wasn't that hard, now was it? The part that comes next is far more tedious.” Brandon grunted once, and Amora beamed him a smile. “Of course we won't be doing it right now. Our five chimes are up.”

She blinked away, and Brandon let the flame smother itself as it consumed the pieces of bark and left a black mark on the large log. Seemed like such a pathetic fire wasn't enough to ignite the larger piece of wood. He shrugged, and swung the rucksack back over his shoulders, making a face at the weight of it. Well, at least he'd get a good workout. Today was leg-day, it seemed. For a brief period, the gait with which the bat walked was faster than usual so he could catch up to the ghost who was float-walking a couple meters ahead. “The next step after having ignited the bark and all is very simple really,” she spoke once the bat was close by, “you just throw small sticks and twigs on it and blow softly like before. To keep the fire going. And then you just gradually add larger and larger pieces of wood.”

“Sounds tedious.”
“It kinda is,” the spirit admitted, “and time consuming too. But it pays. Just make sure you're using dry wood, else it will take even longer, and you run the risk of having to start all over again.” Brandon just nodded, focusing on traversing a small stream without getting wet feet. The stepping stones were slippery and although the Kelvic somehow managed not to fall on his face, he felt like he had come a little too close to that happening a couple times.

Most of the next part of the journey was completed in silence, with Brandon wanting to save his breath, and Amora probably sensing he wouldn't respond if she talked. That and the bat was also on the lookout for danger, listening to the environment and smelling the air. Brandon idly wondered about the lack of animals they'd encountered during their hike, deciding Amora's presence was keeping them away. Their instincts probably couldn't handle it. In fact, Brandon's were not all that happy to stick along either, but his rational mind pushed that all to the background of his mind.

Instead he compared their position to the stance of the sun, trying to figure out what direction Wind Reach was located in. As it was a good solution to the problem of getting lost, the bat continued to do this every so often. His shoulders were getting sore however, and while he disliked the idea of taking another break so soon after the first -even though it wasn't all that soon at all- he did call the sprite over to inform her of the development. With sore shoulders and an empty, protesting stomach he really wouldn't reach the volcanic city, he thought, as he removed the pack from his back and plopped down on the ground.


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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on December 1st, 2015, 8:15 pm

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This was going to be a short break, Brandon decided, just long enough for his shoulders to recover, and to eat something. Lazily he rolled his shoulders a couple times as a way of stretching them, and then he stalked to the nearest destroyed tree, Amora float-walking in his wake. A great deal of beetles crawled over the surface of the wood, in and out small tunnels and cracks. “Ah, bugs! You know they are a good source of food when you can't hunt or trap animals.” She grinned as if she'd just been told Chaqe had survived. “You might find them repulsive, but once you get past that-” she had turned away when she spoke, but at the sound of something cracking rather loudly her eyes quickly searched for the cause.

It was Brandon. Brandon who had grabbed another beetle, crushing it between his molars just like the one before it. Amora's jaw dropped in disbelief, and she just stared as the Kelvic continued to eat the bugs one by one, not really caring about the eyes burning themselves in his person. Well, not at first, that is. “What?” he questioned, having pinned yet another of the squirming bugs between his fingers. “Are these poisonous or something?” The ghost just shook her head as if in trance, then snapping out of it when the bat crushed the insect and swallowed it whole. “I'm just surprised you can just eat them like that. You didn't even hesitate.”

He shrugged. “I'm used to eating bugs.” But if he had to be honest, eating them in human guise wasn't something he preferred either. He'd have to devour way too much to actually fill his stomach, though he supposed the amount he'd just eaten would keep him going for a while. Once more the rucksack was on his back and the duo started moving onwards once more, setting out in the direction Chaqe the Wind Eagle had flown last season. At first they did so in silence, but after a short while Amora just started talking, partly to herself and partly to Bran. She was a chatterbox, it seemed.

“You know, I don't think we'll find any trace of Chaqe,” she spoke eventually, not really waiting for a response. “I mean, he's a Wind Eagle. A dozen Zith he can handle. Even if they were all over him, he could just shake them off. And once that's done they can't catch up anymore, because he is faster than them.” Bran lifted an eyebrow as the teen turned around to float backwards so she could look at his face. “Okay, then let's just go straight to the City instead of wasting our time here.”
“That's not what I meant. I am just saying it is unlikely we will find Chaqe's corpse, because the chance is small he actually died.” She crossed her arms, and the thief just gave a shrug, soldiering on.

Amora was right though, and much to the bat's annoyance -and the ghost's satisfaction- they hadn't found anything when they arrived at the city gates. The ghostly endal had even been scouting ahead to find traces of her beloved eagle, but she'd found none. All in all, the detour they'd made, although it was a small one, had resulted in being a huge waste of time. Brandon was more famished than he recalled being since a long time, and as such he had decided to go eat first. Amora kept herself out of sight for the whole duration of the time they spent in the mountain city, only appearing when no-one else was around. After dinner though, Brandon was once more filled with energy and even his mood had improved, though his shoulders were still sore.

They made their way to the Eagle Aeries as soon as the Kelvic had filled his belly, climbing to the highest point of the mountain in order to find themselves an eagle or rider willing to bring them to the Tomb of the Fallen. Amora lead them right to the Aerie she and Chaqe had shared, the one where he should still be living to this day, if he truly was alive. Brandon had to knock a couple times, and several times more before the door finally opened and a middle-aged Inarta male appeared in front of them, not looking too happy being disturbed by a chiet.


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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Brandon Blackwing on December 1st, 2015, 9:00 pm

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“What do you want?” he chirped in Nari, Amora quietly translated while staying behind the bat at all costs, hoping to remain undetected. “I have something I wish to be dropped in the Tomb of the Fallen,” the Kelvic thief spoke, remaining cool under the man's unfriendly stare. “Go ask someone else,” came the blunt reply, this time in Common. “I am busy.” With that, the door slammed shut in the bat's face. For a moment the thief considered just pushing it open again, but Amora stopped him right in his tracks. She'd go, she explained, and then just phased through the obstacle, leaving Brandon by himself to await her return.

An avian screech resounded almost immediately, and Brandon could hear the ghostly teen's voice speaking excitedly, all while the endal man yelled something in Nari. Footsteps ran to the door, and it opened once again, a frightened and angry face appearing, a hand dragging Brandon inside. “You! What do you have to do with this, eh?!” the endal spat in his face, his eyes looking wild. “Shut up, Flint!” a voice seemed to boom through the room, the endal turning his head to stare in the giant golden eye of the eagle. Amora hovered by the bird's side, grinning widely. “Leave him alone.” The endal's eyes darted from Chaqe to Brandon and back a couple times, and then he reluctantly took a few steps back, looking annoyed by the whole fuss.

“I have come to understand that you are the one who brought her here?” the eagle spoke in the bat's mind, who just nodded. “Then I must thank you. Amora told me what happened already. Hand me the rucksack with her bones and I shall drop them in the Tomb personally.”
“You're not letting him come?” Amora asked, for some reason dissatisfied with the eagle's words.
“I'm not going to let an outsider ride on my back just for doing me a favor,” the bird snorted, “Communicating with him like this should be enough of an honor.” Flint the endal nodded in agreement, Brandon saw from the corner of his eyes. The thief himself couldn't care less about whether he would or wouldn't get a ride on a giant eagle, he had his own wings to fly with after all.

“No objections here,” the bat stated, much to Amora's complaint, “No objections but one. I'm keeping my rucksack. It was a gift from someone I care about and I'm not just going to discard it.” For a moment the bat's two onyx orbs stared in the one golden one of the eagle. “As you wish. Flint, get a dek to fetch a bag of some sort-” It seemed the drudges weren't worthy of hearing the Wind Eagle's voice “-I will leave for the Tomb as soon as possible.” The endal did as asked, and soon enough a large, old-looking bag was pushed in Brandon's hands. The Kelvic quickly poured the bones in the new container and placed it on the floor as near to the eagle as the bird would allow him to come.

Then the bird took off and Flint the endal ushered him out of his aerie. Amora followed, apparently having decided to stick with the bat instead of her old mount. “Why didn't he go look for you?” the thief asked when they were back on the other side of the door, Amora looking happier than ever before. “Oh, you know. He wanted to, but he had his duties to attend to. He's a responsible one, Chaqe.” She sighed. “He was really happy to see me again. You might not believe it, but he was more grateful to you than he let you know.” Brandon lifted an eyebrow in response. Another sigh escaped her, and she beamed a radiant smile. “Thank you for your help, Brandon. Who knows for how long I'd have been stuck there if you hadn't showed up.” She hugged him with her freezing touch for a tick or two. “Don't mention it.” He managed a small smile, preventing a huge grin to spread at her heartfelt expression of gratitude. “I won't forget this;” she cried, a smile still on her face. “Thank you so much!” And with that she faded out, disappearing as if she'd never even existed.

“May Dira guide you safely...” the bat muttered to the empty hall, having mixed feelings about this ending. The empty space around him felt alien and strange, lonely. “I'm getting soft,” the bat murmured, “that or mating season's playing tricks on me again.” Perhaps it was best he'd end the day by searching the company of a female body, Dru perhaps. Someone warm and soothing. Yes, Dru would do.


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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
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Finishing Up Some Unexpected Work

Postby Dove Brown on December 6th, 2015, 12:56 am

Your Grades!
Brought to you on the wings of a Dove!


Please remember to edit your grading request. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.


Name: Brandon Blackwing
XP Award:
  • Socialisation 2
  • Wilderness Survival 3
  • Endurance 1
  • Negotiation 1
Lore:
  • Taking Amora's bones home to Wind Reach
  • The essentials of survival: water, food, shelter
  • The irony of learning survival skills from a ghost
  • Wilderness Survival: how to start a fire with two sticks
  • Bugs: human food as well as bat food
  • Wind Reach eagles speak inside your head
  • Helping Amora move on
Notes: Enjoy your grades.
Very busy at work. May not be around much for a while.
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