Closed [Praerie/Blood Hills Border] Worlds Apart (Celeste)

[Ronas Dermir]

Season of Summer, Day 42, 513 AV The crimson of the Blood Hills washed over Ronas as he trudged to the border between it and the Prairie. His eyes were focused on the horizon, watching and listening for anything that might indicate a monster, a beast, something he needed to fight, something he needed to kill. The Testing Grounds were not safe. Not now, or in the future. Being unprepared was lethal here. Ronas knew the "Empty Mind" meditation technique would not be safe in the Testing Grounds. Nearer to the Citadel, the wards and nuits inside ensured a relative safety, at least compared to these wilds. But to do a full empty mind meditation session here was tantamount to suicide. The whole point was to drive all thought from the mind; to do it here would mean driving out thoughts, impressions, and senses that might have warned of danger as well. Instead, Ronas settled for "Clear Mind" meditation. Instead of emptying his mind of all thoughts until it was as empty as the Void, he instead chose to clear it; pushing out all distracting thoughts until the mind reached Singularity; that is, only those thoughts he wanted would remain. Sitting down, Ronas took a deep breath, his face smoothing out into a mask of calm serenity. Close your eyes. Clear your mind. He focused on his breathing. In and out. Deep breaths. He could feel the air enter his lungs, his chest expanding and contracting with each breath, the muscles in his chest moving and his diaphragm extending and closing as necessary. Each part of his body, from the ligaments in his legs, to the muscles in his arms, became more and more distant. He focused now on his senses, but only one at a time. He chose sound. Ronas heard the screeches of creatures in the distance. The whooshing of wind across his scalp. He could hear gravel rolling about, the faint crackle of thin, stubby branches from the blood-red plants of the Blood Hills rubbing against one another. All these sounds, Ronas concentrated on, trying to place their location, their origin, their threat level. The creatures seemed far off. No great threat there. Ronas concentrated instead on a point of space in front of him. It was practice he knew he could not forget to do. While the Empty Mind would be ideal for forming a Void portal, it wasn't strictly necessary. A clear mind was sufficient. He concentrated on that point, this time not using any glyphs or incantations to help. Just pure meditation. Ronas wrapped his Djed into the space, and compressed it. Tighter and tighter and tighter. His brow furrowed as he then started to use his Djed to "push" away the air there. The dust, the random matter that took up the space that occupied where the portal would be. His mind, empty but for the sounds around him, threatened to flood with thoughts about what he was doing. Ronas shook his head. Concentrate! The Djed, mimicking Ronas' mental state, continued to push out the matter, creating a point of pure nothingness. The Void existed parallel to the material plane; it was another plane of existence, comprised of pure emptiness. The only way to access it is to create a little piece of it here in Mizahar. To create a tiny area of space so empty, it's not so much a portal to the Void as a bridge. Almost as though it was a complementary pair to a sympathetic point of emptiness in that vast expanse. Ronas concentrated. It was difficult to keep all matter away from a singular point. Just as memories and thoughts always wish to invade an empty mind, so too does matter wish to invade a point of pure nothingness. Nature abhors a vacuum. Ronas breathed in through his nose, and let out a calming breath through his mouth. His Djed flowed steadily out now, neither stretching nor wrenching open the portal. Gently pushing. It was the only way. And when he opened his eyes, Ronas could see a swirling portal before him. He did not smile. The portal was not large, nor particularly impressive, even by his standards. It did not even have any significant pull. Nonetheless, it was approximately the size of two of his heads, which was certainly an improvement though not nearly enough to swallow even a person-sized object. Closing his eyes again, Ronas now concentrated on the reverse, using his Djed to yank some matter and stuff it into the heart of the portal. As was his usual procedure he was slow, methodical, careful. The matter was introduced, and though he could not see it, the portal almost immediately collapsed. Ronas took another deep breath. Back to his meditation. Then he heard something. Footsteps, it seemed like, but footsteps he did not recognize. It did not have the determined, measured pace of Master Brent. Was it an enemy? A beast, come to kill him? Ronas was not certain. It still seemed a bit of distance away, so he decided to continue meditating, but he continued to monitor this new sound. Should it get closer, or prove a threat, Ronas was well-prepared to turn, and bring Equalizer to bear.

[Celeste Arumen]

She ran in time to the sound of her heartbeat. Each leg generated a unique rhythm that echoed in her head as she patrolled the border, eyes keen. Her canine faculties were sharp; scents wafting on the wind had already alerted her to another presence, bearing the unique fragrance of flesh and oil. It was another human being and alive, too – she could hear the sound of his breathing as she drew near.

Celeste was in the model of a dog, only sporting her sprightly golden coat this time. While it didn’t help her blend with the environment, it was very good practice. As she ran, she focused internally on the djed of her coloration. It was far more difficult to locate than say, just the fundamental structure of her hair. It was smaller, hidden in the dense weave of her aura. Very carefully she dove in, gait listing from side to side, phantom fingers grasping the linear angle of gold and smoothing, eliminating sharp lines in favor of nice, even waves. She was going for lilac, but each time her eyes opened to inspect her handiwork, the result was anywhere from pink to maroon and worse – it was quickly becoming a gradient.

The girl stopped short of the border, licking a small cut on her foreleg in irritation. The subtleties of color change were far greater than she realized. It would take forever to even become remotely decent at it, let alone the level Riyana was. Her coat was spotted a ridiculous pattern of pink and purple. With annoyance, she allowed her overall djed to drift back into place. The morph slowly undid and before long, a human stood where a mutt had been.

She was not ashamed of her nudity. Celeste was just a little girl, after all. She strode into view, no longer obscured by the sedge and creosote.

”Hail,” she called out, brow furrowing. Her arms folded over her chest. ”You’re awfully close to the border,” she said, eyes trailing off toward the expanse of the red hills beyond. This of course was in spite of her being close to the border, too, but she was blissfully unaware of her own hypocrisy. It was symptomatic of being thirteen.

”Can I help you?” She solicited mildly.

[Ronas Dermir]

Season of Summer, Day 42, 513 AV At Celeste's first word, Ronas sprang into motion. Powerful muscles untangled and he leaped to his feet as the first "Hail!" and he had already had his hand on Equalizer by the time she had finished speaking. Ronas' face did not betray the surprise he felt. She was just a little girl. Couldn't be older than twelve or thirteen. Brown hair framed an oval face, with wide eyes staring at him without a hint of fear. She was slim and fairly well-built for her size and age, and was completely nude. If she was out here alone she must have magic, Ronas figured, for she did not appear to carry any weaponry on her. Her flesh was too flushed to be a nuit; there was obviously warm blood flowing in her. And her lack of modesty implied she was probably a Kelvic. "You’re awfully close to the border," she said, to which Ronas replied, "The border is not an invisible line at which the creatures of the Testing Grounds stop," Ronas ground out, his voice like gravel. "My orders are to train and to do what I can to prevent the creatures here from gaining too great a foothold. 'What I can' is, at present, not very much. So I continue to train as needed." Ronas squinted at the sun, as it beat down mercilessly on the red sands of the Blood Hills. The Prairie stretched endlessly in the other direction, and Ronas' jaw hardened. She had come from that direction. Kelvic or not, the Prairie was undoubtedly not any less dangerous than the Blood Hills. Ronas was a trained fighter and solider, hardened by war and no longer afraid to die, having long accepted that his end would be upon the battlefield. This was a fresh-faced little girl. How had she survived such a harsh environment? "Can I help you?" the girl asked. Ronas frowned. "I do not know," he answered honestly. "It is possible. At present I am meditating. It aids me in concentration and short of meeting one of the test subjects and subduing it, perhaps one of the more efficient ways to practice magic. Certainly a safer way." Ronas nodded at Celeste. "You seem fairly unarmed, yet you are clearly here alone. I must assume you too are an initiate. I am Ronas Dermir, Initiate of Eli Brent, Master of the Blood Hills. And you are?" As he asked the question, Ronas' senses were constantly on alert. It was a habit he had picked up from being constantly under attack, either from animals or bandits or erstwhile 'friends'. A soldier learned to be alert, for those who were not met an early grave. The eerie calm of the Blood Hills screamed in his blood. The Testing Grounds was not a place of serenity. This was not natural. It was the calm before the storm. "Something is coming," Ronas announced. He could feel it. A fighter knows when danger approaches. It wasn't always a sight, or a sound, or a smell. It was instinct; something in the air. Something that all his instincts were screaming at him to prepare himself. And now all he had at his side was a little girl. Ronas drew his blade and readied himself. Voiding required time to prepare. "Try not to panic, and do not freeze," Ronas remarked as he began to concentrate his Djed. Forming a Void portal was a dangerous thing to do in battle. One always ran the risk of self-Voiding. Best to prepare a portal beforehand, and use it later. "Fear can be good. It is the body's way of warning of danger, like pain is the body's way of warning of damage. But too much of it can be crippling. Control your fear, girl. Or it will control you."

[Mirage]

There was no obvious signs of danger, no disturbance in the distance, no cloud of dust... Nothing to cause suspicion of any kind. A few ticks would pass... Then a chime. Still nothing moved. Another chime would pass, undisturbed, the quiet settling. Nothing moved... Nothing at all...

A shape suddenly hurtled over a near by hill, its weight causing the ground to shake as it barreled past Ronas, knocking into him with its shoulder hard enough to send him flying backwards. It bulled past Celeste, not touching her but getting close enough that its skin almost brushed hers. It stampeded for a few yards more before circling, angling back the way it come, right at Celeste. Its body was big, heavy with rough gray looking skin. A large horn protruded from its nose, while two smaller ones jutted up from its lips like tusks. Its eyes were small and beady, ears long and flat. It had short clunky legs with three stubby rounded toes on each flat bottomed foot. As it got closer the ground rumbled from its weight, getting closer and closer to piercing Celeste with its horn with every passing tick.

OOCSurprise! I am jumping into this thread. Think monster Rhino, average rhino size with the features I described. Lets have fun with this! Oh and its not overly fast, but it can gain some momentum lol

[Celeste Arumen]

Dour was a good word. Celeste decided to go with that.

This man was straighter than an arrow and half as sharp. Not to say that he wasn’t intelligent – his speech was eloquent and concise. He was just boring. Celeste found most adults to be trying even at the best of times. This one was turning into a supreme yawnfest. ”Unarmed?” She echoed. Focusing inward (it was poor form to attempt a morph again so soon, but oh well) she carefully observed the cheerful gleam of her djed, so many tendrils of vermillion curling in on themselves and began to sort, mental to physical, a quickly catalogue of her essential make-up. It still took a bit to do so, perhaps a chime or two, but she was quickly becoming better at what distinguished one fiber from the next. Visuals helped, she found.

Once all were accounted for, she gathered the physical and began to shape. Her internal hands were becoming more deft, internal eyes more keen. Progress was harder to note from day to passing day but she knew she was better than when she’d first arrived. Having a master instructor did that to a girl. She took the complex, layered threads of humanity and began to unravel them toward the more fluid geometry of the beast. Celeste began to shift outwardly, body cracking and bending in on itself as she pulled out the spine to shape the tail, pushed her knees backward to reflect their canine counterparts. It was almost grotesque and nothing – absolutely nothing – like a Kelvic shift, to those that would recognize it.

No, this was morphing, a discipline quite apart from shifting of the were-race. Before long she’d assumed her model, pointed ears aloft and brown, brindled coat shining. One clawed foot scratched at the itching that newly sprouted fur always brought. ”I’m Celeste Arumen,” she said, vocally quite human, ”Apprentice and Initiate to Riyana Sterder, Warden of the Prairie.” Her tongue lolled to one side as she panted and she looked almost comical.

But as he announced the intruder, she smelled it. Her nostrils flared and her hackles rose in agitation. ”I’m not afraid,” she spat back at him, though her tone implied otherwise. It was typical: childish obstinacy. She could feel the vibrations under the pads of her feet. Whatever approached, it was massive. She began to shudder, ever so slightly, masked by the cloak of her fur.

It grazed the man opposite her and rounded to make another pass, some horrific creature with gray, wrinkled flesh and a deadly, thrice-adorned mug. It was graced with one great, gleaming horn and two, sharp ivory tusks. Hideous. Celeste waited, heart pounding furiously as it barreled her down, until the last minute possibly. She flanked to the side, hoping to capitalize on her speed. While it struggled to stop, she might go for the hamstring.

If she could bite through the skin…

[Ronas Dermir]

Ronas watched with interest as the girl shifted into a strange, dog-like form. It did not look like the shifting of the Kelvic, which were often accompanied by a flash of light. Though Ronas had seen it once, he was not someone who easily forgot things. This looked more like her very form was fluid, flowing from that of a little girl to that of a powerful beast. Interesting. Ronas could only guess at what this was, though he suspected it must be a form of magic, though not one he was familiar with. It mattered little, except to explain how a girl her age and size could survive out here. With a form like that, she could very well handle herself. When Celeste, for apparently that was her name, spoke, Ronas' brow actually rose in surprise. He hadn't really expected the girl to speak, figuring that in this form she would do little more than growl or grunt. Yet something else that confirmed this was not a Kelvic, as the Kelvic he had met was mute in his animal form. Celeste Arumen, initiate of Riyana Sterder of the Prairie. Now Ronas was certain that the girl was a mage. He merely nodded at the information. When the creature had shown up, Ronas nearly swore. He wasn't ready, the portal hadn't been formed. And now it was too late. Forming a portal mid-battle was dangerous at best, and suicidal at worst. He'd have to rely on his other abilities to win this one. The beast lumbered past him, its ugly horn barely missing his sternum as he attempted to dive out of the way. It struck his shoulder and he went flying, tumbling end-over-end before his training kicked in and he fell into a controlled dive. Rising to his feet, he noticed that the beast was now charging at Celeste, which meant its back was now turned to him. From what he could see of this creature's physiology, he quickly determined that the best place to attack was either from behind or above. Sadly, he had no means to attack from above. Dashing forward, Ronas drew Equalizer and charged at the creature's turned back. Celeste seemed to have dove to the side at the last moment, and the beast seemed unable to stop its own momentum. If he could plunge Equalizer's blade into the creature's leg he might be able to cause a wound they could take advantage of later. Ronas lifted Equalizer, and slashed hard with the curved sword, hoping that it would connect with the beast's flesh. At the same time, he kicked at it, his goal being to both cause additional damage and to propel himself backwards. Because if this didn't work, the beast would turn around any tick, and he would be in a lot of trouble.

[Mirage]

The beast tried to slow its momentum as it barreld past Celeste, kicking up dust as its stubby legs tried to halt its massive body. During that time Celeste had more than ample opportunity to latch her jaws onto the back of the creatures hamstring. Her teeth would find tough hide, thick and hard like dried leather. Her teen would sing in, but not enough to draw blood. She would also notice something else, the creatures skin was boiling hot, as if it had been left out in the desert sun for days on end. The combination of extreme heat and thick hide would cause Celeste to quickly lose her grip as the creature puled its leg hard as it tried to slow its momentum.

Ronus would meet as similar problem. His blade would sink part way into the flesh, drawing some blood, but the combination of thick hide and the act of hitting a moving target would sabotage his efforts. His blade would be deflected to the side, nicking Celeste on the shoulder as she was flung free, and where he might have attempted a graceful kick off from the creature he instead found himself clumsily rolling off to the side instead.

It took an additional 3 ticks or so for the creature to slow its momentum enough to turn, rounding on Ronas as he tried to gain his feet. It built up speed quickly, bearing down on the Initiate with intent to kill clear in its eyes.

[Celeste Arumen]

Celeste got more than she bargained for.

The flesh was not only tough, which something she expected, but it was white hot, which was something she did not. She struggled to break free, pain shooting up through her exposed gums, causing her to whimper and strain. Her hindquarters dragged along behind her as she dug in her claws, hoping to liberate herself before the pain became too great. Finally, she was able to withdraw, but her body began to tumble across the ground from the speed at which they were moving at the time she was able to detach.

By the time she got to her feet, the creature was barreling down on the other initiate.

”Move!” She cried. ”Or go for the eyes – the hide is too thick! We have to go for a weak point!”

She flanked off to one side, in order to save her own skin. As much as she wanted to help, it would do no good to rush toward the line of fire. This beast was far too big and too fast to stop, even if she threw herself down as a sacrifice. They had to work together.

Celeste looked it over. It would be bad to try and blind it – the tusks would cause swift retribution. Perhaps she could distract it, while Ronas got some clear aim. That way neither of them would get hurt. She was faster than it, after all.

”Watch me!” She cried, darting in to try and draw it to the side. ”Get the eyes when it comes to follow.” Hopefully he’d get up and follow her command. Otherwise they were likely both dead.