by Raiha on July 14th, 2010, 2:58 am
A ghost, Raiha realized, suddenly. It had no form. That was the Soulmist she was looking at, the already blurry, wavering edges… that was definitely a ghost. When the ghost came her way, Kanikra was screaming at her, the adrenaline surging through her, commanding her not to avoid, but to attack. The best defense was a spirited offense, and neither of them knew if the ghost would materialize to strike her, or what if it would do something else instead… like possess her. And so it must have been a sight when the Akontak, her gold eyes unblinking and intent dropped her center of gravity, the whalebone suvai in her left hand, her grip tight as her feet found purchase on the floor of Kavala’s room, and lunged, driving her weight behind the whalebone blade, her knees bent and ready for a quick recovery…
Only to stiffen and still her movements, her battle-ready pose gone as she straightened and stood normally.
Raiha and Kanikra fought against each other in a perpetual battle, sometimes recessed with unspoken ceasefires. But they had never had a common cause to band together to fight against before in their lives. And now that one presented itself, they struggled against this invader, Raiha’s determination and Kanikra’s rage boiling and trying to force the ghost from their body in an unseen battle within for control. It was one-sided – the ghost wasn’t budging. You petching bitch, Kanikra hissed as they were forced to admit defeat. You’ll get yours. You’ll have to come out some time, and when you do, you had better be petching far away!
Her mouth opened and words came out, words Raiha couldn’t stop nor control, not that she didn’t try. She tried hard to stop, tried to focus on her own body, her own free will, her own Djed, anything to get rid of the ghost. She felt an odd sensation, as Djed was applied to her arm, feeling it, and screamed internally. No, no, no, no, no! The ghost was Morphing her. Morphing, a discipline of personal magic she had hesitated to learn because of the propensity of her twin soul to abuse it. The ghost must have been a wizard in life, because the ghost had just used it on her, warping her limb with her own Djed. She understood the rough theory, and knew that Morphing didn’t require an initiation… just as well, because she was going to have to fix this. And just like that, the ordeal was over.
Or, Kanikra hissed grimly, it just begun. Breathe. Fix it. Breathe, Raiha. Come on. Don’t weaken now! She felt the mental equivalent of a stinging smack, and tired as she was, she started up a little bit more, cradling her reptilian arm to her chest almost protectively, beginning to breathe again. She had been a little shaky on her pins at first, her knees wobbling before locking, either from Raiha or Kanikra, but she could not fall. No. Diallo was there, shoving his bulky body against his mistress, sniffing at the transfigured arm before seeking her other hand to nose and nuzzle. Her Auristics had been stifled when she had been possessed, and Raiha activated it once more, bringing the Djed to focus, looking for the Ghost to make sure it hadn’t gone into hiding in one of the others. Her face was tight and almost predatory; her lips in a thin line that only relaxed a little when she realized it was well and truly gone. She accepted the chair, still quiet, even as she sheathed the suvai as she sat. Her heart was pounding and her skin was cold and clammy, but Kavala’s and Taithrosa’s medical examinations showed that the Akontak wasn’t going into shock.
“That,” Raiha finally spoke again as her fingers ghosted over her arm, checking out the scales, testing the strength of the limb and very much not looking at anyone else right now, “was a ghost. She’s gone now, though. I can’t see her any more. She’s probably gone to the Coalinga Gem Mines to wait for us. Ghosts have an ability to possess people, one of their three innate skills that they alone have, and she just used that on me.” As she spoke, she was quiet, and try as she might to prevent it from showing, she was tired, and it was coming out in her voice. Kanikra was there, poised and waiting. “Possession allows a ghost to take over the body of a living being, unwilling or not.”
“This is Morphing, a type of magic… so she knew what she was doing when she possessed me,” she chewed the inside of her cheek, letting her right hand rest on the Deerstalker’s head. “It doesn’t hurt, no… it’s just tiring, but that is to be expected. I don’t think this is something a Healer can fix. There’s nothing medically wrong with it… just transformed Djed.” She hesitated, remembering the Djed laws. “This… is going to be a stupid question, but does anyone have leftover midnight snacks?” Consuming something replenished Djed – you absorbed and used the Djed of the substance one devoured, Raiha remembered. She had burned through a fair bit tonight, and, well, getting some more might be useful.
Fix it, Kanikra insisted again. Come on. At least try it… and then we’ll get something to eat to replenish your energy.
Or, at least, replenish yours. Raiha sighed. She had to give her twin credit, though – she could have taken control a while ago, but she hadn’t done so, not yet.
That could happen, true. Either way, you’re not going to be in much shape to do anything for a little while, so at least try to fix the arm. I’m going to be quiet now. Focus. Breathe.
She closed her eyes, sitting still in her chair. She knew what the form of her right arm was – she had lived with it all her life, hadn’t she? She focused on it, pushing everything else out of her mind but the way her arm used to look and feel and be, with the soft, dark blue skin, its length and strength, the muscles underneath… she focused, and tried to will the Djed in her arm to transform, to look the same way it used to, even as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. When she was done, regardless of the result, Kanikra stepped in, pushing Raiha back into the darkness. Just rest, she told her. Just rest. I’ll take care of things right now.
“Where is the Coalinga?” she asked Hatot as she stood up. The manner was different, unflinching. “I’ll ride if we have to, but I’m going to the Mines. She may not be easy to spot, and I’ve got a bone to pick with that petching bitch.”
The first rule of Akajia is you do not talk about Akajia.