Soul Arrival

[Seyp]

Seyp’s eyes followed the movement and outbursts of the ghost, standing calm and motionless, his stance more one of curious observation than a warrior’s courage. His brow quirked as the flashes of the ghost’s aura snaked out like wisps of smoke, only to his eyes it appeared like jagged red shards of spikes, stretching out and convulsing like something contained wanting out. A sharp rage, uncontrolled and unfocused, something not entirely uncommon among their kind.

Seyp’s body leaned back quickly as one of the scouts was pulled to the ground, the scouts foot nearly catching his chin as he fell. “Interesting.” Seyp said with a quirked brow.

He knew such would have consequences, however. No one came to Falyndar uninvited, no matter the reason, and escape without them. So instead, with the current inability to punish the offender directly, they focused on the ghost’s companion. His eyes continued to focus on the Ghost, watching her react as the woman’s finger was broken. He watched curiously, watching as the rage filled even further, grew until the ghost’s aura looked like it was ready to explode into an inferno. As suddenly as it had grown, it had faded once the woman’s screams faded, calling out to the ghost.

The rage soon slid away as the woman revealed small tidbits of information about herself, causing Seyp’s inquisitive nature to react in a twitch of the ear. His gaze soon shifted to her, as her aura glowed more fiercely, fueled by the power of the goddess a healing. Seyp’s eyes narrowed into a squint, his hand raising slightly shield his eyes. It wasn’t entirely like staring into a god’s aura, but divine magic was fueled from the gods itself, which made looking at it, especially at beginning levels, difficult. He soon let the site of Auristics fade from his eyes, sparing himself from having to stare into the light any further, despite the fact that it wouldn’t have lasted much longer. A feeling of fatigue passed over him, his body slumping slightly as the other Myrian’s began to head back towards camp.

Seyp, soon reached up giving his eyes a rub as the Ghost’s voice explained the reasons behind their sudden arrival. The suddenly, the ghost suddenly moved, going for what was originally to be Seyp’s most recent project in the field of Malediction. He slowly released a sigh, turning as he stood beside the woman. “Your incorporeal friend has a pension for lashing out.” Seyp said subtly. “It is something she should reign in before one of our Spiritists decide to trap her within a Bika. Especially considering the fact that she interferes with prey that has traveled onto our lands.”

Seyp then looked over to the woman. “Your skills for hunting may be tested, and your lack of a warrior spirit will be frowned upon,” Seyp then explained, his gaze traveling over the woman’s frame for a moment, but not in a leering manner, but more in a oddly curious way, “but, considering you are touched by the Goddess of healing, they may give you some leeway, and not eat you.”

Seyp then began walking forward, expecting the woman had the sense to follow instead of fleeing. “However, I am a male, so such is not within my realm to influence. I suggest you appeal to the one who leads my party, Kreesha.” Seyp then explained, looking slowly over his shoulder as narrow brown eyes gazed to her once again. “What is your name, healer?”

[Rage]

As Seyp continued his interrogation with the human female, Kreesha watched the spectacle of the specter chase after their other prisoner, the quiet man whose companions were nicely being cooked over the bonfire. The woman's brows met at the impulsive ghost's actions, though no orders were given to shoot down the healer or pursue the ghost and the man. Instead, the woman let out a shrill whistle, one that echoed sharply through the nearby trees. Magnolia, focused on choking the man only she seemed to know the identity of, would feel the effects of the whistle in the next split second. A creature the size of a warhorse blasted through her ethereal form and into the gasping man, driving him out of the treeline again and into the beach. The sand cushioned his fall but he landed in an awkward angle, one of his legs shattering beneath him. Free from Magnolia's wrath, the man was able to breathe again and he screamed as pain jolted through him. His broken leg was the least of his worries however, as his attacker prowled close to plant one of its feet, a giant paw, on his chest. Backed by over a ton of predatory muscle, it effectively pinned him to the ground. It was a Myrian Tiger, the greatest of predators in the jungles of Falyndar, and it turned its head to cast a look at Magnolia that one could only describe as baleful. Its face was scarred from some previous battle, its left eye taken out by whatever it had faced, but the disfigurement only lent it a more fearsome aura. It roared at the ghost, a horrible sound that traveled through the jungle in its volume. A mile away, a flock of birds took flight, startled by its power. Only then did it turn to regard the pitiful creature beneath it. The man had been struggling to escape its clutches, hammering at its paw with his hands, but it was all in futility. With one swipe of its other paw, one of the man's arms was slashed to ribbons, leaving him howling in pain once more. When the tiger lowered its head to take a chunk out of his belly, the scream changed into a fervent pitch. The man continued screaming until he was too weak to do so as the massive beast fed on his intestines. He was forced to endure the sensation of being eaten alive as the tiger slurped up his less vital organs. None of the Myrians found the sight particularly novel, though their 'guests' would have surely blanched at the grisly scene, ghost or otherwise. Kreesha turned to the small woman then, a stern look on her face. "It seems you ghost companion has a hard time following orders. Should we punish you again for it?" she asked, though her tone was rhetorical. One could only hope so at least. "You seem to be important to it. You will tell us why." When the woman failed to answer immediately, Kreesha motioned to her second and the other warrioress handed the parched woman her own waterskin. She could quench her thirst there and then but the Myrian's question remained.

[Hex]

Hex let out a small sigh of relief when Seyp planted the thought that she might not be brutally murdered and eaten by the Falyndar natives. When Seyp queried as to what her name was she responded, “Hex” and shortly after fell silent as she watched the jungle cat rip apart and devour the man’s innards. Having spent the last several seasons out in the Sea of Grass, Hex saw enough of what could only be called the vicious truths of the circle of life. She held her stomach well, being fairly accustomed to seeing that sort of thing during her time as a medic and hunter. But what she wasn’t entirely prepared for was that such an event happened in the blink of an eye. The man barely had a chance to live, considering both his uncooperative attitude and lack of value to the natives. If Hex didn’t please their curiosities and give them reasons to let her live, she would soon be kitty food herself. Kresha’s intimidating stare and threat made Hex’s ears perk up, but when Hex used her auristics to see past the woman’s exterior, she sensed no further threat to her life. A waterskin was thrown into her arms and she scrambled with it, raising it to her lips and gulping down the precious liquid. She drank for a long chime, filling up the water organ in her body until she sensed the impatience in Kresha’s watchful eye and lowered the waterskin to answer the woman’s questions. “I can’t tell you why she picked me. Something has drawn her to me. I wish it weren’t so, but she might play a more important role in my life than I’m willing to accept right now.” Hex and Magnolia were broken in their own ways, flawed souls looking to fill an impossibly large void. “That question would be better answered by the ghost herself. Why she chose to pluck me from the docks of Riverfall I am also curious to know.”

[Magnolia Corvidae]

She bolted up, concentration shattered into thousands of quivering pieces as the great tiger leaped through her body. The soulmist clinging to the man's neck slipped away and returned to Magnolia's form as she ascended, looking down at the abomination that had stolen the man from asphyxiation. Only to be eaten alive. It drove him from the jungle and into the sand, and tore into his belly. His screams rang sweetly in Magnolia's ears as she watched the disembowelment from her aerial seat. Yet the tiger could not harm her, so she slowly floated down to the ground level. Drifting over to hover at the beast's shoulder, the ghost stared at the writhing man. Yes it was horrific, but no more gruesome than watching the undertakers remove her charred, mangled body from the streets of Ravok. Yet despite the gore that littered the area as the big cat enjoyed its meal, Magnolia smiled; this was no doubt a better vengeance than choking the petcher. The ghost ran her hand along the tiger's massive shoulder as a sign of approval, though no doubt the beast only felt a slight chill. Now the man was probably ruing the day he took his first breath, the ghost drifted back to Hex. Unseen, her voice rang out in answer to the Myrian's question, "some people have the misfortune of standing out in a crowd. I could use neither an Akalak nor one of their slave whores, and Hex was the prettiest face amongst a sea of blue apes. Of course, if I had chosen somebody who was not so attractive, I might not have had to save her from being raped." Her voice did not sound scornful, in fact she spoke in tones of pleasure. "Yet that does not explain why I am attached to her, does it? I suppose I'll answer that question when I know the answer."

[Seyp]

Seyp observed with a tilted head as the Myrian Tiger ripped through the man, eating him alive, there was something beautiful yet horrific at the same time too observing the tiger devouring it’s prey. Beautiful in the aspect of the tiger’s natural grace despite the fierce and raw power and sheer size of the animal. It was so methodical in how it stalked and ate, almost as if it devoured it’s prey’s very emotional fear as well as the meat. Horrific in that any decent parts that Seyp could use were now done. Still, it wasn’t something he considered to be a great loss. Whatever he might have produced from the man’s bones, likely would have reflected the disposition of his personality, making any who would use them an eventual bane to the Myrian race.

Seyp’s gaze then slowly turned towards the women as they spoke, Kressha first in inquisition, and Hex next in response. He continued to observe her. Her reaction, demeanor, body language. It was something he continuously did with outsiders and enemies out of simple habit. Who knows, perhaps the others who were in charge might not find her worth while, and decide to offer her to Seyp, despite any objection the ghost would make.

Seyp’s attention then moved to the ghost then, listening to it’s voice as he considered using his Auristics to view it once more. He restrained himself in the end, however, finding that it would be too soon, and chances were likely that he would come close to exhausting himself Too much so while not within the safety of the city. His brow then quirked as he listened to the ghost’s response, looking over at Hex. “You are a woman.” He said matter of factly, his gaze traveling up and down her frame as if to investigate that fact further. “A man tried to sexually assault you, and you didn’t outright take his life, letting the ghost do such in your defense?”

Seyp then looked over to Kreesha, an almost questioning look on his face as to why. In the end, he found it difficult to understand. He was a male, raised in a matriarchal society with no real exposure to the outside cultures. If such an assault happened within the walls of Taloba, the male would have been castrated, and left tied to a post to bleed to his death from the wound. “Odd.” Seyp then simply said, shaking his head slightly.

Seyp then looked to Kreesha once again before cupping his hands behind his back, standing casually. “This woman has a disdain for conflict, her skills as a fighter may be poor and her hunting skills only adequate, for her own lands that is,” Seyp explained briefly, “but she is a healer, marked by the Gods in such an ability. I leave it to you to decide whether she be given a chance to prove herself of any use, or simply another meal and her bones used for my practice.”

[Rage]

Kreesha snorted at Seyp's questioning look. "She is not Myrian," was all the warrioress said. She stared at Hex for a long time, not speaking at all, absorbing both her words and the ghost's. None could know what was in her mind, whether she was weighing the words of the bone shaman or contemplating the smallish woman's death. Her gaze lingered longest upon Hex's broken finger. It dangled uselessly on her hand but clearly it did not pain the woman now as much as it did when the injury had been inflicted upon her. When at last she spoke, Kreesha addressed Seyp. "She lives, for now. For how long will depend on the spirit. I leave her in your care for now. Have her fed. We move in an hour." To Hex, she said, her tone sardonic, "Fear not for your treasured womanhood, our menfolk have more discipline than the combined phalluses that populate the rest of the world. I believe the shaman would only be interested in your bones." She waved Seyp and their captive towards the firepits then, where the companions of the man recently slain by the tiger were being roasted by the rest of the Myrian war party. It was clearly a dismissal as Kreesha turn to Magnolia next. "Linger a while spirit, we will confirm now your tales." She waited until Seyp and Hex have gone a good distance before she signaled her second in command to approach. The other woman discarded her spear and shield, setting them upon the sandy ground of the beach before unfastening the belt that held her shortsword. Unlike the first two items, this one she handed to her superior before facing Magnolia. "I am Jakai. You will possess me, spirit, to prove the truth of your story."

[Magnolia Corvidae]

Magnolia cocked an eyebrow, though none of the savages could see the skepticism on her face. Ignorant meta-humans clearly haven't the slightest. Though as the group split, leaving her with Kreesha and Jakai, the spirit proceeded; even if the order made as much sense as flying deer, Magnolia would not pass at the chance to violate a lesser being. "Very well, Myrian." The indubitably foreign scents of incense filled Jakai's nostrils as Magnolia flitted over. She raised her frigid hands and placing their ethereal form over the Myrian's face. Like water in sand, the ghost began sinking into the corporeal woman. Arctic chills ran down her spine as soulmist filled her body and wrenched control away. She was a willing marionette, and so the dead girl easily picked up the strings of her body. As Magnolia seized the last vestiges of her host, she let out a wide smile that would likely seem a little incongruent with the body. This was good. Like a clumsy puppeteer, the spirit wheeled Jakai around. Although barely able to keep a sense of balance in check, the woman bent to retrieve her spear and shield. She grasped them like a child would, finding the loop and shafts unwieldy. When she spoke, it was not the strong voice of a Myrian, but the considerably more feminine and lilting one that was Magnolia's, "Right, what now?" The ghost still hadn't the slightest as to how she was to prove herself, but knowing the natives, it would involve a good deal of bloodshed. I could learn to like these barbarians.

[Hex]

Hex said nothing to Kresha but bowed her head at the great Myrian leader. She knew little to nothing of these people, but every new experience was teaching her something new about how they went about life. Hex approached the camp with hesitation, repeatedly looking back to Magnolia who had been told to stay behind. As vicious as the ghost was, Hex felt unsafe without her company. But she swallowed her fear and proceeded towards the wafting scents of cooking meat. The tiger had torn the helpless man’s body to shreds, cleaning out his insides and leaving his carcass to be picked at by knife-like fingers. Flesh that was ripped from the man’s bones lay in mangled strips on the fire, fat sizzling and exploding as it dripped into the fire. At first Hex wrinkled her nose at the sight of humans eating human meat. The thought had never once occurred to her, it was never part of her culture. Before she joined the other Myrians around the fire she combed the beach until she found a plank of drift wood. She kicked and pulled at it with her good hand and feet until she was able to dislodge a small piece. Her finger ached painfully and she examined it gingerly with her other hand, looking at the crooked angle it had taken. The swelling had gone down \after she let the healing power course through her. Enough so that she could then set the bone and did so then with a half muffled cry that echoed down the beach. Sweat poured from her brow as her shaking hand fitted the piece of wood against her broken finger and the finger next to it. With a thick piece of thread she had pulled from her fraying skirt she bound the wood to her fingers. She rose to her feet slowly and sauntered over to the fire, plopping herself down onto the sand and looking around at the Myrians nearby. When one shoved a piece of meat in her direction, she took it immediately, not wanting to anger the mysterious natives. But it took some courage to consider eating it. She first sniffed the meat and couldn’t help but notice the heavy aroma of boiled blood. It stung her sinuses but she pushed aside the wrenching feelings in her gut to down the morsel, chewing at its tough texture before swallowing it quickly. If she opened her mouth or breathed the scents that wafted around her she might have vomited, so she kept her mouth closed and simply reminded herself that she might not have much to eat if she didn’t eat then.

[Seyp]

Seyp had slipped away during the whole possession process, having taken a small, empty plate with him. By the time he had returned, he had seen the tail end of the ghost slipping into Jakai, her body tightening up and shaking as if she were having a seizure. Seyp closed his eyes for a short moment, bringing Djed to his eyes as his vision flashed with the colors of Aura’s as Magnolia’s seemed to mesh and clash with Jakai’s at the same time before mingling in an uneasy cohesion.

The auras blended together before Magnolia’s spirit shined more prominently, turning towards Kreesha before speaking in Jakai’s voice. Seyp slowly shook the visions from his eyes almost as soon as he had began them, finding the process interesting, but anticlimactic by the end. Perhaps he would witness an unwilling victim at some point and see how that goes.

Seyp soon walked past them, heading up to the fire as he stepped up behind Hex. His head tilted slightly, as he watched her forcing herself to eat a plate of flesh that had recently been cooked. “Odd,” Seyp said from behind her, “just because I said you had to appeal to Kreesha, doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to each human flesh.”

Seyp then held the plate out in front of Hex, which bore a variety of fruits ranging from grapes and apples to oranges and berries. “Eat this instead.” Seyp then instructed. “It would be a waste if all you were going to do with the meat was throw it up later anyhow.”

[Rage]

Magnolia: Kreesha's face finally erupted into a full grin once Magnolia had settled inside her lieutenant's body, though there was little mirth in it. "Gullible thing, isn't it?" she said in Myrian, clearly speaking to her second rather than the ghost. "Report to me once you have the information we want. I will prepare the others for departure." The tall Myrian warrior left them without another word and headed for the fire pits. Jakai remained standing, unmoving, weapon and shield at hand. "This would be over a great deal faster if you cooperate," she said, momentarily wresting control of her own body from the spirit inside her just so she could speak. She allowed Magnolia full use of her motor skills for the most part, reserving her energies for the task given to her by her commander. "Open your mind to me, spirit. I do not wish to have to fight you in a battle of will. I only need to verify the tale you and your human have given us. "In exchange, I give you full use of my body for the duration of it, provided you do not hurt my fellows. You may find it easier to control than the body of your inexperienced friend." Jakai said all this calmly, as if she was used to, and familiar with, the process of possession. Seyp and Hex: The Myrian leader approached, though only to order the rest of her band to pack the meat that have already cooled and dried for use as travel rations. She paused long enough to regard Hex when one of her men made an amused remark and waved in the direction of the woman. Hex would not understand the words, but she would get the gist of it easy enough. The Myrians were talking about her eating human meat. Taking an empty coconut shell from the ground, Kreesha dipped it into a small cooking pot stewing over a fire, filling it halfway with its dark contents. She drifted over to Hex and Seyp, thrusting the makeshift bowl to the former. "I did not know the people of the desert practiced eating the flesh of their kind as well," she said, her tone curious, almost conversational. "What you had was meant for the road. It is unflavored. Here, have proper food. Do not think we are so barbaric as to not offer a meal to a...guest." The contents of the bowl was a dark stew, its gravy thick and black, with bite-sized chunks of strangely textured meat floating around it. There is a faint scent of vinegar and other spices mixed in its unique aroma - strangely appetizing if one could ignore some of its questionable ingredients. "It pays to bring someone who knows how to cook in your travels, do you not agree?" Kreesha asked. She turned to gaze at the distant Jakai before continuing. "My lieutenant will verify your tale from your spirit friend. How that turns out will determine your fate. Whatever that may be will have to wait until the next campsite, however. There is too much meat already, and cooking takes up too much time." Abruptly, the warrior turned to Seyp, switching her words to Myrian once more. "I do not think their tale is false, truth be told. We may have use of her skills as well, at least until more healers travel here, though it is the ghost that would have more value to us. Have you checked the range of her abilities? What do your eyes see?"