Touching the Web [Sama'el]

[Ronan]

Sama'el pulled his hand up one final time, and Ronan was jerked forward. But his body was left behind. All the weight he had carried in his body floated away, and he was spirit. Suddenly he was unsure of his own being, and when he looked down for his hands, they formed from silver mist.

He looked to Sam with an uneasy smile. "This is... different." He heard the words like normal, but something felt different. They came with thought, they came without the usual understanding. It was like he was projecting the contents of his mind, rather than producing spoken word.

He did not feel afraid - only unsure. This was a different world, and it seemed he would float away if he did not keep himself mentally tethered to the ground. Seeing his body was something else entirely.

"I understand," he projected, "I am following your lead brother."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam's silvery astral form shot through with gold at the pleasure of Ronan's trust and the intimacy of his fraternity. The hand that was not a hand strengthened its grip, a sort of carry over from corporeal bodies, a squeeze of reassurance. 'We will not go far,' he said. 'Once I help you back into your body, you will be able to see all this when you wish, the lines of energy, although you will have to go into a trance to truly read it. Movement is but thought. Will yourself to a place or in a direction, and you will go. A warning, however: most of those new to the Web cannot travel for more than a hundred miles. Gradually you can travel farther without spreading your spirit to thin and breaking its link with your body.' He turned Ronan around to truly look at his body, breathing but lacking any personality now. The greater part of stepping out of one's skin was knowing one could do it, so accepting utterly this vision of his temporary split from the physical was important.

[Ronan]

"So the spirit remains tethered to the body throughout?"

He cast his sight forward and began to will this form to move. It wasn't so much a physical walk, more of a shift in position. His silvery spirit glided forwards, slowly at first, as if pushing through a muddy bog. The movement was an exertion, as if his physical body was pulling back.

"A hundred miles? I don't think I'll make ten."

As he pushed forward a little more, he began to make out the lines around him. Fine strands of shimmering energy, like gossamer glistening with dew. The Web. He gazed in awe. These lines criss-crossed, and connected up. He realised that several passed through Sama'el's floating spirit form.

He moved towards the closest strand; more exertion, more force required. He realised that every time he moved, he built up tension between his current form and his physical body. He thought of a hundred miles, and the force at that distance. How could anyone withstand that? But clearly, training made movement within the Web easier.

"This is... beautiful," he projected slowly and carefully.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

'Yes, it does.' With their "hands" clasped, Ronan's movement pulled Sama'el along, and his resistance dragged at Ronan's movement somewhat. But his presence on the Web was more sure than Ronan's, and he also kept his friend anchored so he would not overextend and snap that connection with his body, even though that distance was far away. 'You will soon. I learned quickly, then hit a plateau for a long time. Then suddenly I was able to go almost five hundred miles. Then another plateau. Perhaps someday I will be able to travel farther.' His spirit form sparkled with quiet joy. It was a good thing to share this beautiful vision with his friend. 'Look.' He took hold of a strand of energy and suddenly the world around them moved in reverse, and they were able to see Sama'el climb down the rise backward and then, after a time, Ronan's arrival went in reverse as well. Then, with will alone, Sama'el hurried them back toward the present, pausing several times during their spar at points where one or both of them made mistakes, the better to learn from them. 'There are many ways you can learn from the Web.'

[Ronan]

Ronan watched in wonder as Sama'el touched the strand and replayed their dagger training. He saw his own failings, but was also impressed by his tenacity and agility.

"It... it holds a memory?" he asked slowly, nodding and learning as his friend showed him the applications of the Web. The Web seemed to embody life itself, the great connections between all. It could only be a Drykas construct.

Sama'el held him. Not held in a physical sense, but it seemed their ethereal forms were bound in some way, and his friend helped him along. It was a great push. This world was high pressure, an atmosphere of force and mysticism. It was not like merely walking the land.

Knowing that he could learn so much in the future frightened him, as much as it was exciting. The Web seemed to give a person a lot of power. Power that could be applied to the world around them.

Moving along, he projected his thoughts to Sama'el. "Thank you brother. Thank you for showing me this."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

'In this way, you can track people... Follow them through space, or track them through time. There is great potential here, and you will learn. I have much to learn as well.' There was an element of time to this too, how long one could stay separate from the body before things started to break down, and sent a flash of welcome to Ronan, for their souls were still separate, but partially mingled as Sama'el protected Ronan from any disturbances in the energies. There were ghosts and things out there, and the occasional Leecher attempting to drain the Web, but Endrykas itself was rather safe, protected by the Ankals and the Stormwatch web mages. He let several minutes go by so Ronan could marvel at this new vision of the world, and then he tugged, pulling his friend back toward their bodies, carefully putting him back into that house of flesh. 'There may be a little pain or discomfort when your soul rejoins your flesh,' he said. 'Know that it is normal and will pass, and it lessens as you grow more accustomed to the Web. Stretch out to fill your body, even to the tips of your fingers and toes. Mine still tingle when I return.' When he had sealed Ronan back into himself, he quickly returned to his own body and those selfsame tingles, needling his extremities as if they had fallen asleep. He leaned forward to hold Ronan's shoulders. His body had slumped forward without its spirit, but if his reaction was bad, he could fall. And the Web would still be visible to his eyes now, though he could not so easily manipulate it while in his body. The sight too would fade, only to come back at will. "There, there you are. A web mage. Ronan Windsong."

[Ronan]

Ronan gasped as his spirit filtered back into flesh. Weight hit him. No longer was he ethereal spirit, now he was muscle and bone. And then he seemed trapped, spirit trying to reach back into fingers and toes like putting on a glove. He panicked momentarily, blacking out and falling backwards.

Sama'el caught him, and he opened his eyes, feeling a little better, albeit tingly. Returning to his body had been the most unpleasant part of it all, but Sam said it got easier. He would have to take his word on that.

A Web Mage... that sounds strange.

"Thank you Sama'el. As always, thank you." He breathed deeply, and shook his hands about to try and get rid of the tingly feeling. It was like hundreds of tiny bites, all at once. He just wanted it to go.

As it faded, he looked out to the Grasses. A lot of time had passed since they had come here, but he didn't mind wasting the day away with his brother-in-arms. It was sustenance. Not like his forays of old into the wilderness, alone for days on end, with nothing to do but hunt, sleep, and brood.

"I... I must tell you. I can't come along to Avanthal, Sam. You'll be back, but I fear I might never return if I left. I've only just accepted Endrykas in my heart. I'll train without you, and perhaps I'll be Watch ready when you come back."

He sighed, putting a hand to his temple.

"May Semele watch over you. And travel safely, Sama'el. Please, by the God's, travel safely."

FIN

[Lariat]

Ronan Windsong

Experience:

Dagger: 3 xp
Rhetoric: 1 xp
Wrestling: 1 xp
Meditation: 1 xp
Webbing: 2 xp

Lores:

Basic moves using the dagger
The use of insults to distract
Effects webbing on the body
Communicating and moving within the web
The basics of using the web
The dangers of using the web

Sama'el

Experience:

Dagger: 3 xp
Rhetoric: 2 xp
Acrobatics: 1 xp
Wrestling: 1 xp
Meditation: 1 xp
Teaching: 2 xp
Webbing: 3 xp

Lores:

Basic moves using the dagger
The use of insults to distract
The basics of using acrobatics in a fight
Initiating another into the web
Effects webbing on the body
Communicating and moving within the web
The basics of using the web
The dangers of using the web

Comments

A pleasant thread from both of you, if you have any questions just send me a pm!