[Gug Andjak ]A haunting amongst the dead[Elaine Spade]

[Clyde Sullins]

As they entered the forest, it was clear it was not a place often traveled by living things, at least not ones the size of a human. Clyde noticed a few paths here and there which surely were well used, but not by people, of that he was almost certain. Which made Clyde all the more curious what did move about and live here in this forest. Nothing big, or else there would be broken limbs and wider paths, neither of which he could identify... Of course, his observations where limited somewhat by his lack of knowledge of the wilderness or of tracking animals, so his conclusion might have been off a bit. But he felt somewhat certain from his own logic that nothing too big lived here. "But perhaps some God do want them to whiny to them. I don't know real..." "Why? What god is he? And how do you please him? And I don't doubt I will be glad, but I'm not always that happy about it. I can't even touch you without giving you a heart attack." Clyde shook his head at Elaine's words, as she spoke of her dissatisfaction at being dead and a ghost. She seemed in some ways happy enough to cling to her unlife, but in other times... She clearly wanted more in those moments. A odd switching back and force that she did. It was all Clyde could do just to navigate without tearing himself to pieces in the forest so full of thorns. Luckily his enchanted robes were much tougher than normal cloth robes, as tough as leather, and so they stopped and thorns from stabbing him there. But that left his hands and head exposed, free to scratch. And even if the robes stopped the cutting, the thorns still pricked painfully at him. Using his staff to push back the end of a branch, Clyde glanced back at Elaine for a moment, and then answered her latest words. "Rhysol? How did you manage to stay in Ravok, without learning of Rhysol? He is the God of Evil and Chaos. But then as I said, he has a bad name, which makes many people assume things about him that are not necessarily true. Many would say ghosts are evil or dark, and fear them just for existing. But I don't. I understand that you are more than that. Just as Rhysol is. He is called evil, and reigns over the domain of it, but what is evil but the opposite of what is so commonly called good? And what is defined as good by one person, could easily be seen as evil by another." Clyde let out a sigh, being careful to not release the branch and have it spring back and slap into him, which would be rather painful. "Not to mention when you get in on those who find themselves "righteous" and "working for justice". Often it is just an excuse to do as you think is right, while calling yourself good. Everyone has elements of bad or "evil" in them. Those who say they do not are just lying to themselves, denying who they are. I don't care what people label me as, I know what I do is right, and that is all that matters to me. That is all that should matter to you." Clyde paused for a moment, as he saw motion out of the corner of his eye. As he turned to look though, he did not see anything. Either he had imagined it, or it had stopped moving. "And as for Chaos. Well that particularly is something seen in a bad light, that is not inherently wrong or bad. What is change but chaos? Without chaos, without change, there would be stagnation, complacency, and decay. Nothing would grow, nothing would be driven to change and get better, all would be one great monotony. A cycle repeating itself endlessly without deviation." "It is chaos that fuels this change, that forces people to always grow and better themselves, to refine what you are, to achieve a greater level of skill and understanding. If not for chaos, which fuels this change, you would not have reached this state you are in now, you would not have changed and grown for the better and learned to accept yourself. Change is good, chaos in moderation is for the better. But people see the word chaos, and they instinctively think "bad" without understanding it."

[Elaine Spade]

Elaine was slowly gliding in the forest, while Clyde was next to him who was having some trouble. She felt bad that she couldn't help other than staring at him. Everything was scratching him. She heard a noise behind her back. But when she turned around she saw nothing. Perhaps she imagining things. She was also a bit embarassed, how could she not know? She didn't really deal with that kind of things back then. Perhaps she heard him... but he didn't sound that important by the name.

"Yeah no wonder they make assumptions." She muttered to herself. She was listening how highly Clyde was talking about him though. It was suprising but it made sense somehow. Perhaps she would have viewed it as bad but she wasn't accepting her own self. It badly overgrown her. She sighed as Clyde did.

"Well... people are like that, I was like that. I have changed myself. " The converstation was intriguing. She wished to join to the phylosophing. "Then it means that perhaps Rhysol was the one who helped me to change and to be true to myself. I was in Ravok afterall and I met you. I should say thanks to him maybe. " She smiled, she even forgot how Clyde hardly was walking. "Nevertheless chaos is not necessary for change. Change needs WILL. A strong will. Chaos only needs for those who has weak will, so they need a little... 'help' to start that change. I had weak will, I needed chaos in my life to change. Change is necessary and needs strong will, chaos can cause it also, but for the weak. "

[Clyde Sullins]

"Yeah no wonder they make assumptions." "Well... people are like that, I was like that. I have changed myself. Then it means that perhaps Rhysol was the one who helped me to change and to be true to myself. I was in Ravok afterall and I met you. I should say thanks to him maybe. Nevertheless chaos is not necessary for change. Change needs WILL. A strong will. Chaos only needs for those who has weak will, so they need a little... 'help' to start that change. I had weak will, I needed chaos in my life to change. Change is necessary and needs strong will, chaos can cause it also, but for the weak. " “Perhaps then it is chaos and Rhysol that you can thank for meeting me and for your current change. Perhaps yes it is that some can change without chaos, that some would inevitably get better by their own volition, but I think by in large most people would not. Most people would grow complacent and stagnant. I think it is simply human nature to grasp familiarity and to try to keep things the same.” Clyde shrugged, and then looked up into a nearby tree. He paused for a moment and then his mouth gaped open. A moment ago the tree had been empty. Now however there was a tiny dog in it. And a odd dog it was. It had the ears of what looked like a bunny rabbit on the top of its head, and it had a thick warm fur. And its eyes... They seemed to glare right into Clyde. “What?” As Clyde looked at the small dog it bent down and ate a berry off of the tree, a deep red berry. Then it jumped. Not off the branch it stood on to the ground below, but a mighty leap through the air. It bounded from the tree it was in to a adjacent tree, bounced from it to a branch of another tree, and then within a few ticks made a series of bounds that brought it out of view. “What the... What the petch was that thing?” Clyde stopped staring off in the direction that the dog had gone, and looked back at Elaine. Glancing about Clyde now noticed that there were various berries and such about the forest. “Well... That was odd. Elaine, could you get some of those red berries the dog ate? I think it could work as a material for some soulmist. Either knock them down or try and bring them to me. A handful or so should do.” Going into his pack, Clyde took out a small clay pottery bowl that he had gotten the first time he had made soulmist for Elaine. Looking about he tried to find any berries on the ground level that he could reach while he waited for Elaine with the red berries. After a few moments, he found some growing on a bush. These ones were blue, unlike the ones on the trees Elaine was picking. Clyde carefully picked a handful or so berries, plopping them one by one into the bowl. Absentmindedly he popped one into his mouth to taste it. As he did a sudden stabbing pain formed in his skull, like a wave of frost had swept through his brain, or a ice cold pick had been pierced into his skull. “Agh!” Clyde clutched at his head as the uncomfortable cold pain went through his head. After a time the cold pain faded, as it if had not occurred. Looking at Elaine, he let out a sigh, and showed her the bowl he had put the berries into. “What kind of berries are these? I've never heard of berries that gives one a brain freeze! I guess that's why the dog ate those red ones in the trees, and not this blue one down here.”

[Elaine Spade]

She could probably ask Clyde how to reach Rhysol or thank him. Elaine really thought it was Chaos that saved her from what she was. And she also agreed that most people need some power to start that change, she was there as an example. Long painful time, but it needed for her to start the changing. "Have he ever done anything to y..." She paused as Clyde said What?

She also looked at the dog-like creature which was in the tree. She wasn't sure if it's about to attack or not. But it was looking as strange as the ones she had met with Kouri. Also Clyde and the creature was looking at each other. Was it about to jump on Clyde? She went closer to Clyde and was ready for everything. But it didn't bother.

It wasn't about to attack. In fact it was eating the berries at the trees. Elaine calmed down a bit by that. Then it was going away. The ghost was creeped a bit."Okay I will write a book about the several strange dog types in Sahova. Or either ask you to write it down for me." She laughed a bit about it but then she shutted her mouth. "Sorry.. I just, I just pick one of those berries."

She was floating up to reach them. She was thinking how to do it. She focusing some of her soulmist on her hand to not let them fall down while with the other hand she focused her soulmist to pull them down. She picked 5 berries and was bringing it down to the bowl to Clyde. Agh! She heard and hurried back but was still careful to keep them. She didn't ask what's the problem as Clyde showed the blue berries. "I hope that's enough, I can bring more but.. are you sure you wanna eat those berries then? "

She got it now why Clyde said she will be happy that she is a ghost. Because now she was indeed glad about it."You were right. Being a ghost here is not that bad now... OH yeah before that dog or bunny or whatever stopped me I wanted to ask. Have Rhysol ever helped you? Like he helped me."

[Clyde Sullins]

"Okay I will write a book about the several strange dog types in Sahova. Or either ask you to write it down for me. Sorry.. I just, I just pick one of those berries." Clyde nodded at Elaine in response to her comment on the dog. It was not often Elaine joked, and so it was a bit odd to hear her make an attempt at it. It took him a moment to realize she was perhaps not literally thinking of making said book, and that said book might simply be a joke. By then though she had already passed back to her normal more sedate self, and apologized for her sudden happy outburst. “I suppose it could be a bit of both. For instance if you were to write the book while possessing me. I suppose that would count as both of us writing it. Also, I have a bit of experience with such things. I've written a short book once before. Or I suppose more of a treatise really... But I doubt it would interest you, its more of a in depth treatise on Reimancy, not a topic or something you are familiar with. But no need to apologize, its not like making jokes is a banned thing.” As Elaine dumped the berries she had picked into the bowl with the others, Clyde shrugged once more. "I hope that's enough, I can bring more but.. are you sure you wanna eat those berries then?" “Its fine. I guess the blue ones will just need to make the bigger portion of the soulmist. I need simply three different types of food from three different sources. There is no rule saying they must all be of equal amount. So I just need to find one more type of something...” Clyde looked around trying to find a third something, perhaps another berry or some such thing. As he looked about, Elaine had another question. "You were right. Being a ghost here is not that bad now... OH yeah before that dog or bunny or whatever stopped me I wanted to ask. Have Rhysol ever helped you? Like he helped me." “I am not sure... I guess Rhysol has helped me in ways. It was in Ravok that my magic was returned to me... I cannot help to think that he did not have a small hand in that, in his city... If not for him, I suppose I would not be here on Sahova right now, and I would not be the person I am today. The trials and chaos I have undergone has made me what I am. If not for it, I would probably be a miserable blacksmith back in Syliras, whiling away my days doing the same things over and over. So perhaps I do have Rhysol to thank for my current state of affairs.” As he finished looking about, Clyde spotted a third type of berry, on yet another bush. These ones were purple, a mix of color in between the reds and blues of the former berries. Plucking one off the bush Clyde popped it into his mouth, and bit in. As he did a grimace came over his face, and he spat the berry pulp back out. “Bleh, these ones are sour... Could you perhaps pick a few more of the reds, to help balance out the sour flavor of these purples, while I pick them? With that I should have about all I need to make the soulmist for you. Well, that and a bit of blood. I suppose that means we can head back out of this thorny forest. Just add them to the bowl with the others, then I will mash them all up to a good pulp or paste.”

[Elaine Spade]

She was eagerly listening to Clyde when he said he wrote a book. Elaine got excited and was grinning. This could be a perfect chance to get know Clyde even more, by reading his book. After all it could say a lot about him... and he said Reimancy his life. She also wanted to know about that a little. "Can I read it at your house or where ever you live here if you have it with you?"

So Rhysol indeed helped him too. She didn't understand why others misunderstood him. She didn't think she was that special but he helped her. Or at least she believed he did. She also felt sorry for Clyde that he had to eat that disgusting stuff just to make soulmist. How did spiritists know that they had to do this? They are weird. Ghosts are weird too. She was weird as well. "Ew... Next time, we go to a less creepy place, and you can cook if you can or we can go to a tavern or such for a dinner. I bet it would be better to make soulmist from DELICIOUS food.

She tried joking again but then turned around and floated up to the tree again as Clyde asked her. She was pulling down more berries for him and carefully carried to his bowl and placed there. " I came here to help you, to thank you for all of your helps. And yet again you are the one who goes through all the troubles for me. You are a strange but amazing man, Clyde."

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was a bit surprised at how excited the concept of reading a book written by Clyde made Elaine. She had said though that she had worked in a library... So perhaps she simply liked books. "Can I read it at your house or where ever you live here if you have it with you?" Clyde shrugged, not really sure why his book would interest her. It was after all on Reimancy. “I suppose I could show it to you sometime. But its a bit dry, its just a look at the workings of Reimancy. I doubt it would be interesting to a non-Reimancer. In fact, its the first thing I've written, so it might not even be that interesting to a Reimancer. But perhaps next time I will bring it along.” "Ew... Next time, we go to a less creepy place, and you can cook if you can or we can go to a tavern or such for a dinner. I bet it would be better to make soulmist from DELICIOUS food." Clyde shrugged again, not really sure. He tried to recall back to the book on soulmist he had read, which was how he had learned to make it. It had not made any mention of particular ingredients or foods being better for soulmist. “I am not sure. But then, Sahova is not the best place if you are looking for fine food. Perhaps some day if we are back in Ravok, perhaps then we could try it. As it is, I'm hard pressed to find enough food to keep me fed here. Cooking though... Yeah, I've tried that once. Cooked some deer... I don't think it turned out to well, a bit burnt. Not really evenly cooked. But then perhaps with practice I could get better.” Once more though Elaine had a comment, one which made Clyde feel slightly embarrassed. He could not help but feel a small bit of heat on his face from her words. Surely his cheeks were showing his embarrassment by rising in hue. " I came here to help you, to thank you for all of your helps. And yet again you are the one who goes through all the troubles for me. You are a strange but amazing man, Clyde." “I suppose I am but what the world and Rhysol made me... Perhaps it is simply that more often we are in a situation where my skills are of use to you, more often than your skills are of use to me. I suppose that's a good thing isn't it, that I'm not constantly in mortal peril and need your aid? I'm sure some time will arise where I am in need of your aid, and on that day I have faith I can trust you to deliver. But come, lets finish this up and you can try out my, "cooking" I believe you called it.” Taking the bowl full of berries, red, blue, and purple, Clyde began to mash and crush the berries with his fingers. He continued on with this in such a fashion for a short while, until the bowl was filled with a paste or mash or gunk of a indeterminate color. Next was the blood. Looking down at his fingers, he saw the spot where the thorn had struck him. That seemed as good a place as any. Taking the dagger from his pack, he exuded a small cloud of res from his mouth, and willed it to float just below he blade of the dagger. With another twitch of his will the upper layer of the cloud burst into flames, and he used the lower layer of res to hold it in place. Then it was a simple thing to hold the blade over the open flame, making sure to bask the tip in the heat, so that it was completely sterile. Once the blade cooled back down, he made a small poke in his finger that had been cut by the thorn, and caused a new opening in his flesh. Clyde held the finger above the bowl of mash, and drip by drip bled into it. After a short time and a small bit more of bleeding, Clyde repeated the process with the blade, heating it up, and making it hot. However this time he did not wait for it to cool, instead laying the flat of the hot blade across the cut on his finger. He held it there for a few ticks, withstanding the pain, until he pulled it away. The heat had cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding, and would keep it from getting infected. He was fairly certain he had learned this back on Mura, from that same Konti. Or perhaps he had simply gotten the idea from the woman. Either way, it was a good way of keeping himself from losing a finger, even if the burning did hurt. Done with the preparation, Clyde mashed up the mash a bit more, so as to mix the blood in better, and then popped the contents of the bowl into his mouth and began to chew it slowly.

[Elaine Spade]

Dry or not she wanted to read it. Not like Clyde understood why, but he didn't have to, it was Elaine knew why she wanted to do it. The more she knew about Reimancy... and him the better afterall. "Thanks! I will enjoy it for sure."
She said.

But Clyde won't enjoy that meal they were about to do. And he was right Sahova wasn't. In Sahova everything was dead.. and they were talking and walking. She wasn't exactly sure if that food won't talk either... or walk or turn Clyde into a walking corpse. She quickly rushed that thought away. Terrible image, terrible image.

She was proud to think that she can be useful for him sometime if not. Big thoughts... but at the moment she couldn't do much for him. She was only haunting him. But she didn't think she was haunting him. At least wasn't aware of that. She was watching again how Clyde was smashing those berries and again she poured some of his blood. Never knew why that was so necessary. "After cooking these soulmists, you will drink your own blood from a glass I tell you."

[Clyde Sullins]

"Thanks! I will enjoy it for sure." Clyde simply shrugged. He did not see why she wanted to read it, but clearly she did. Perhaps she was simply such a avid reader that she wanted something new to read. Even if it came from his own poor writing ability... But then, being a ghost could she not move about more freely than Clyde, and go to the library to read? It seemed like she could. But perhaps not... He did not fully understand the barriers and such of Sahova which impeded movement. Perhaps if he was a bit better at shielding, he would better understand how the barriers here worked. Assuming they didn't use some odd offshoot of some ancient magic lost to time. Whether or not it did, it seemed like something Sahova would like to pretend was true. Pretending its magic was more potent than it actually was. With the mush in his mouth Clyde tried to clear his mind, and focus on the intent he wished to instil in the soulmist. He pictured in his mind the goop turning cooler and whiter, with a slight ghostly glow to it. He also focused on the image of Elaine, and pictured her taking in the soulmist, consuming and eating it, and growing stronger from it. He continued to focus on these images, this intent for the mush, as he chewed it over and over. This focus of course was not aided by Elaine's next words, which made little sense to Clyde. "After cooking these soulmists, you will drink your own blood from a glass I tell you." All Clyde could do was raise an eyebrow at her, trying to puzzle out what she meant. He could not speak, not without spitting out the soulmist, and that would interupt the process. But he had no petching idea what she was trying to say! Was it some odd kind of threat? That seemed less than likely... Why would he want to drink his own blood, let alone a glass full of it? But he did his best to purge his thoughts of this confusion, to focus instead on the intent he had for his magics. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils and imagined the words and unneeded thoughts blowing out of his mind on the exhale. Then he continued chewing. It was a simple meditation technique he had learned awhile back for concentration and clearing the mind, but it worked all the same. After what seemed like many chimes, in which Clyde continued to will the gunk to change, fed the intent of it growing cold and cool and ghostly and empowering to said ghosts, the texture of the "soul dough" as Clyde liked to call it changed ever so slightly. It felt a bit more loose, smoother, and yet also blander. The sweet taste of the red berries, the brain piercing cold of the blue berries, and the sour punch of the purple berries, it all seemed to be dying out. Instead it was replaced by a cool neutral-ness, lacking in flavor but filled with intent. After a time more, Clyde felt he was done, and finally spat out the finished product into the bowl he had mixed it into. As it left his mouth, he could see the faint glow it gave off. “Whew, done. Well go ahead, try it, tell my how my 'cooking' is. And what was that thing about the glass of blood? I did not quite understand what you were meaning.” Having given Elaine permission, she would now be able to sample and use the soulmist, something she would not be able to do without his allowing her. Clyde was unsure why that was, why a ghost could only use soulmist after permission was given by the spiritist to make it, but surely there was a reason behind it. As he thought this, there was a sudden clenching in his belly, which was quite uncomfortable. The clenching seemed to grow and descend down into his gut, and a small grumbling sound came from it. “Ooh... I don't think all of those berries agreed with me... Some of them must have been off...”

[Elaine Spade]

It was actually long and a bit boring waiting for Clyde to chew those berries. But in the same time it was a bit amusing. She was staring at him and she found Clyde's face funny while he was eating. She wasn't laughing, she was keeping it inside. She knew it was not funny for Clyde and he was doing it for her, it would have been rude to laugh at him. After some chimes finally the transformation of the food has happened.

His soulmist was ready and she was given the permission to use it. She didn't need more. She openned her mouth and absorbed the soulmist Clyde gave her. She felt a bit better, refreshed by it. It's quality was nothing like Wanda's soulmist. But it was Clyde's soulmist she didn't need more. "Hmm... That was better than the first one you've ever done. Thanks!"

She laughed about his confusion."Oh that! Just you need blood to make it don't you? The more soulmist you'll make, the more you might like your own blood later. Nothing important forge..."Then the sounds from Clyde's body stopped her. That wasn't a smart move perhaps to chew those berries and to swallow them. "So, Clyde? Are you alright? Ho-how about we go to your place and you rest? Hope you don't mind my company there." And with that she would have followed him wherever he was leading her.

OOCOkay I think that would be my last post, finish up with another post or if you want something else pm me. And I think we can put it to grading.