[Flashback] What Lurks in the Mist (Auldwin)

[Growl]

Ari shrugged. "Perhapsssss for ssssomeone who doessss not know the area well. But for a being who issss familiar with the place, navigation becomesss sssimple." She paused for a moment, seemingly watching the wind send the trees swaying from one end of the forest, as branches crashed through the canopy. Freshly fallen, chilling rain dripped from her skin. Slicking her hair back even further. Causing it to splay across her face as she turned her head from one direction to the next, continually checking that the coast remained clear. "Zinrah sssshould be in that direction though," Ari went on, keeping to herself the notion that she did not find the ghost's ignorance at all surprising. It was as though then, that she had not heard him speak. If he asked about it, she may always say that the rain had drowned out the sound of his whispers. That's what they sounded like to her anyway... whispers. "Anyway... asssss you ssssaid, we sssshould go before it getssss worsssse," Ari went on, as she began to head in the direction she had pointed. "Come ghosssst, we may talk asssss we travel." She kept on moving, and shook her head lightly, "there aren't many places here in general. Essspecially for thossse sssssuch as ourssselves." To what exactly, Ari had been referring, Auldwin could not at all be certain.

[Auldwin]

Becoming a Ghost had taken a lot of things away from Auldwin. His hair couldn't stand up on the back of his neck, but he still had some nebulous sense of instinct. Most of this was drawn upon experiences in his Human life, living in a city mainly dominated by other Humans. He had typical schooling as a child, nothing particularly exquisite, and he certainly hadn't met a variety of different people like his father. Still, he could tell when something just seemed a bit out of place about a person.

This woman was mysterious, but Auldwin could not determine if she was making her self appear that way, or was simply part of a different culture. Though they had not known of one another long, he had learned nothing about her save for her name, and that she was from Zinrah. He floated along with her, his materialized form now fully relaxed into the coalesced mist that typically composed his shape. He found his vision moving up and down her body again, trying to get some idea of whom he was dealing with. She was larger than nearly any Human female he had ever met, though he couldn't be certain if many Human's lived this far away from civilization.

They moved along the path toward this place Ari had spoken of, and Auldwin finally found himself questioning, "So, what is Zinrah?" There was no reason not to be a bit more direct now. The woman was conscious and moving, and to break up the monotony of the travel, Auldwin decided to fish for answers. "What happened to you back there?" was the second thing that immediately found it's way within his thoughts, constantly tormenting him. The Ghost still had no idea if she was assaulted, simply brought down by the weather, or experienced some bout of illness she possessed or had contracted being in this jungle of carnage. "What do you mean, those like ourselves?" that statement had made him the most curious. It was clear the woman did not consider Auldwin amongst the living, and to that end he had to assume she was speaking about herself and her people.

[Growl]

Ari waited until the ghost had asked his three questions, before replying to any of them. "Zinrah isssss a place for sssssome of Falyndar'sssss outsiderssss... sssso to sssspeak. If you view the world from the sssstandpoint of the filthy Myriansssss," she spat. She paused for several moments, collecting herself before continuing. "Zinrah is the home of my people. To outsiderssss, foolssss, it appearssss assss nothing more than a pile of rubble. Ruinssss. But if one botherssss to look, beneath it all, they find home." Ari paused again as she swung around the side of a tree, and ducked as another branch headed her way. "Assss for the lassst thing you bothered to inquire about... it wassss nothing more than an occupational hazard." Her eyes seemed to sparkle with that comment, her long slit of a pupil seemingly growing, as her lips curled into a small smile. "Anything elssse you wissssh to know?" Ari asked, feeling rather kind of late. In a mood to indulge the ghost, by answering his questions.

[Auldwin]

Outsiders was it? Auldwin thought of himself for a moment, definitely an outsider compared to this strange and seemingly uncivilized land. From what he knew of the Myrians, they were savages themselves. Violent and brutal, living in a primitive culture involving killing and eating anything that moved. They seemed to deal well with the residents of Black Rock, but realistically it could have been because no one could eat a Ghost, and from Auldwin's understanding the lady of the dead, Dira kept an eye on the place at all times. Though Ghosts seemed to get a free pass at the Gods considering their limbo like state, it Auldwin imagined it wasn't wise to infuriate the Goddess of the Dead.

Then the Ghost discovered something else interesting, Zinrah existed beneath the surface. A subterranean structure? That fact made Auldwin wonder what other strange things could be found beneath the surface of the world. Beneath the surface of the world, and beneath the surface of the ocean. Many times he had crossed those tropic waters, floating just above the surface or confiscating the body of a fish to further master Possession, but never had he gone so far below that he could not see the surface of the water above him. Was there even more to Mizahar? Things lost with time and the cataclysm that happened so many years ago?

Auldwin put the rest of those thoughts from his mind, walking simply through the tree the woman stepped around. Here and there branches moved past his Soulmist, doing little more then shuffling the mists slightly that collected around his form. As what was once a Human man, he couldn't help but smirk at the woman's answer. An occupational hazard? It made him contemplate just what her occupation was. Not knowing any better, Auldwin would assume just 'walking through the forest' would be an occupational hazard.

"Not unless there is anything important one should know. While I'm here, even though I have little fear of everything around me, I can't help but feel so far away from this culture. It's all just so different I suppose. I'm used to caravans and roads. Stone buildings and countless people. Out here it looks like there is so little." he paused for a moment, coming to a solemn conclusion. Things were worse in the world then he thought. Syliras had shielded him from the harshness of the lands past those walls and the Knights that protected them, "Traveling across these lands...it just makes me wonder what I was missing."

[Growl]

"I have never heard of this Sssylirassss," Ari commented absently. "But even ssso, it ssseems unlikely that it could be like thisss place... no two placesss, are ever truly the sssame, or even, sssimilar in most cassses. Even if they are within the confinesss of the sssame region." Ari paused, as she turned around another tree. She could just make out the sound of monkeys howling overhead, and then there was dead silence. Save for the pounding of the rain upon the terrain. The woman turned to her ghostly companion. "Do you think that strange Auldwin? That the jungle has suddenly grown, strangely silent?" she asked.

[Auldwin]

Auldwin was surprised. Strikingly so. He had assumed everyone had heard of Syliras, the jewel of the continent, it's people content and safe from most of the dangerous of the outside world. The place was short on space, and the Knights had something of a monopoly over everything, but to be able to wake up and go to sleep without many worries made for an easy life. It seemed things weren't so easy for Auldwin anymore.

The Ghost was satisfied enough with all of the many answers Ari was providing, as non-specific as some of them were. Having something real to cling to appeared to be the most consistent of Auldwin's emotions, whether that 'real' thing was an emotion, a place, or a person. He didn't know this woman well, but traveling just seemed a little bit easier with her around for reasons besides her inherent skill at navigating the jungle. It could even be said that the once man allowed his guard to drop slightly, the relaxation of his Soulmist mirroring the peace that slowly filled corners of his mind. That was until Ari made an observation.

Had the forest quieted? Now that Auldwin focused on it, she was right. Even with his best speculation he couldn't imagine what that meant. "I've been known to have effects on animals but...this seems a bit different." his floating form slowed down until it came to a stop at Ari's side. He paused for just a fraction of a moment before moving forward, "Would it be a predator?" he kept his vision glued to his surroundings, trying his best to aid in the resolution to this mysterious occurrence.

[Growl]

"That isss posssible," Ari commented, as she crouched a little lower to the ground, as though readying herself to spring into action at any moment. Her eyes darted from left to right, over and over, never settling for more than a second. Should any of the leaves in the underbrush so much as sway, Ari would assess their threat level. If it was merely the work of the wind or rain, before moving on. "But, conssssidering how nothing hassss ssshown itssself, it ssseesmsss unlikely," Ari added, silently cursing herself for not thinking to bring her sword out with her this day. For with a sword, she was all the more powerful in this form, than not. "Come," Ari finally beckoned to Auldwin after awhile. "If it wasss anything, it hasss more than likely passssssed ussss by now." With that, she straightened herself, and continued through the jungle. Ari walked in silence for a long time, before crouching down once more. She was certain she could hear a low rumbling sound, something not caused by the elements. Something produced by one of the jungle creatures. As her eyes darted back and forth, she was certain she could hear some of the underbrush rustling louder than before. But she could not be absolutely certain, with both the rain and wind refusing to let up. "Or perhapssss I wassss wrong," Ari commented, after a moment of silence. "Do you think it then, Auldwin, wissser to lay in wait, or to go to the possssible threat, and face it head on?" she asked.

[Auldwin]

Auldwin wasn't exactly certain what the woman beside him was doing. He saw her drop her stance and begin to heavily observe nearly everything that was around him, but never in his previous life had he been involved with anything even remotely related to wilderness survival. The closest thing he got to living in the wilderness was the travel he took a few times with a large Knight escort to the Syliran fields to the south of the city. Even then, such laborers had nearly nothing to fear, as the Knights always had patrols and outposts in the area, being protective as they were against any harm coming to their crops or those that worked them.

The Ghost could do nothing but try to concentrate on everything that was happening around him in order to gain enough visual information to help Ari. She seemed to be much more perceptive than he, however. Most likely she also possessed a level of instinct from living in this type of wild that Auldwin would never develop. Being dead meant you had very few natural predators, beyond the occasional wayward Spiritist. Supposedly there were other ethereal undead creatures that may or may not be able to interact with a Ghost, but Auldwin had never met such things in his years.

As they moved on and Ari mentioned the sounds, Auldwin found himself picking them out as well. This time he could hear them, it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. He found himself looking toward her, and then toward the vast greenery that surrounded them both. If he had the ability to sweat, he would have. That pause made him stop to think, what was he afraid of? There was no reason to worry, no reason to use caution. Then he recognized the observation of such caution wasn't for him, but for the flesh and blood crouched down next to him. It was ironic that as detached from such life as he was, he still understood the value in allowing people to keep it. It was redemption for those times when he questioned his own humanity.

He found her asking for his opinion. He didn't have any good answers though. Nothing had ever been lying in wait for him, and he never had any threats he had to face head on. So which was it? What was the answer? Was there any right answer? He looked at the way he was trying to live his life now, as opposed to the passive way he existed while he breathed. Moving forward, facing challenges, that was what he did now. Waiting and watching was how he lived as a man. "Now, I'd move forward. I suppose it's better to get the drop on something, than to be ambushed yourself. Your home, is it close?"

[Growl]

"Then we will keep going," Ari replied, as she straightened her body out, and began to move in the direction the had been heading all along, at little more than a walk. "And it issss difficult to sssay, with the rain. Although, if we are where I think we are, it sssshould not be more than a day or two away... but with the rain, if it keepsss up, it may take a bit longer than that." Once the words had left her lips, Ari fell silent. She kept on gliding across the forest, until the sound of leaves rustling reached her ears. She turned to see that the sound was coming from behind her. A bush was shaking furiously. There was a low growl, and then a jaguar leapt out of the underbrush. It pushed up against the terrain with is strong paws, and leapt for Ari. The woman's eyes grew wide, as she screamed, "Auldwin, dissstract the beasssst if you can!" It was then that she began the thirty second process of shifting. Her flesh becoming darker, scaled. Her limbs sinking into her center. Her eyes seeming to glow...

[Auldwin]

Auldwin simply absorbed the time frame Ari spoke of without much comment. A day or two of travel was not bad. The woman clearly knew her way around the jungle, and was at the very least not so delicate as to be overcome by death just from...whatever 'occupational hazard' she spoke of earlier. The Ghost was content enough to float serenely near her, curious as to what type of settlement he would be seeing when they arrived. At least he could aid her when she slept, not needing such a rest himself. He was still assuming that Ari had to rest. He couldn't even be sure he knew exactly what she was, and soon enough he would find himself learning more than he knew previously.

There it was, the creature within the brush. A large feral feline, teeth and claws bared. It's sleek coat covered with the moisture and rain of the jungle. He could hear it's low voice growling at the both of them, although Auldwin made a less appetizing target than Ari. Not having any true substance did that. He found himself staring at the creature for a moment, not entirely sure what to do. When faced with a vicious predator in his spectral form, he often found himself simply confining himself to the area where he lingered, waiting for it to pass by and eventually move along.

Ari knocked that passivity out of him quickly. He heard her voice yelling toward him. Distract it? But how? Looking around he noted his surroundings, there certainly were plenty of objects to take advantage of. Branches, rocks, all manner of things with which to utilize. Auldwin did have some experience wielding objects in a threatening manner, but it wasn't the typical way he utilized his Soulmist. Nearby he saw a stone upon the ground, perhaps the size of a man's fist, it was simple enough.

The tension he felt, he brought it inward. He focused those feelings into his Soulmist and as a response it lashed out and gripped the stone. He found his aim was more true if he gestured with his own translucent hands. Leveling his fingers toward the jaguar, the rock levetated softly in the air before, all at once, his emotions sprang into his Soulmist, launching the projectile toward the big cat. It was just like playing marbles, "I will tr--" he began to say as his vision glanced back toward her. He was already preparing to pick up a second object to hurl when he noticed her...changing. What the hell was going on? No matter, he had to focus on one thing at a time. Just what was Ari? What was he dealing with? "No, attention back on the creature, focus on the Soulmist, keep it level, release it all at once..."