Closed Strength of Soul

[Anchor]

55th of Spring, 513 Shore north of Syliras Over by the edge of the large gathering of Svefra, a small campsite sat huddled on its own away from the main walks. There was nothing very obviously different about this camp from any of the others, and the Svefra looked like most others of their kin if clad in unique clothes. They were mostly bare, with torsos completely exposed to the world, even the women. Vestments hung from their wrists and elbows, ribbons of fabric connecting the two joints and as pale as a white beach. There was not much practical about them, but at least they didn’t get in the way. It could easily be surmised that they held some sort of traditional value as well. The Svefra who wore them sat around apparently doing nothing, some eyes glazed over and others closed calmly in what seemed to be deep thought. Sitting in small clusters of two and three, it seemed almost as if they were communing together, though with who was anyone’s guess. Only when they were approached could one see the light pale substance that was slowly extruding from their skin, translucent mist-like material that was a good deal more tangible than air. After enough had accumulated, a Svefra would wipe their hands across their skin and collect the whatever-it-was and jar it, then return to their original position and sit a while longer. In front of one of the tents sat a woman on her own, an aging women whose hair was as white as her arm ribbons. However, her torso was garbed, and said garb was as black as night, trailing from her shoulders to her ankles in waving patterns. Her pale blue eyes were regarding a ghost who hovered before her, one who had been introduced to her nearly a bell before. Fubuki was the ghost’s name, and though the dialogue had been carried on for some time the elderly Svefra still had yet to divulge her own name. “It is a shame to see that a girl like you died at such an age,” she lamented, repeating her sorrows that had been stated nearly a bell before. “Though I will not question what your purpose is, I will implore you to remain with us during your stay here. The other pods are not as familiar with ghosts as we, and it can cause a good deal of superstition and fear if they found that one of the deceased was among their ranks.” Shifting in her position on the beach, she reached out a bony wrinkled hand and beckoned for something. One of the men nearby hurried over with a jar of the substance he had just created, handing it to the elder before returning to his previous task. Holding the jar in one hand, the woman reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out an old dagger. The hilt was worn and the blade was dulled, but it was unmistakably a weapon and good enough to suffice for its current purpose. “It is a good sign to see aid from the dead,” she spoke. “Our cause must be just enough to warrant a visit from a lingering soul. There is, however, the matter of mastery over your abilities. You don’t look to have been a ghost for long, and so your proficiency in such skills is likely undeveloped. I’ve come across a few elder ghosts in my time, the fearsome kind who have been able to create small storms on the sea if they wished it. You should try for this, for it is a fearsome capability indeed.” Setting the dagger on the ground between them, the woman held the jar in both hands now. “Practice your soulmist projection on this blade. It is small enough to handle easily, and when given a sharpened one it will be harmful enough to be of aid in a struggle. I have here some soulmist to help replenish yours should you wear out, so there is no need to conserve. Focus on manipulating it and learning, we will care for you if you overexert yourself.”

[Fubuki Kouri]

Kouri's ethereal eyes darted around as she observed her surroundings. She was in a small campsite, noticeably much quieter than the rest of them. Unlike the other camps which were filled with warriors and Svefras conversing with each other, this camp was almost silent, most of its inhabitants seemed to be... meditating. What are they doing? Kouri tilted her head in confusion and the thought of asking one of them popped in her mind, but she decided it would be impolite as they seemed to be very focused in their... whatever they are doing. She noticed that once in a while, they would wipe their hand across their skin and put something in a jar, this made Kouri approached a jar to satiate her curiosity. Oh... hey... the jar is filled with... Then she looked at her own body. my... tendrils... Are they ghosts as well? ...Oh well, I better ask grandma more... She decided to ask the old Svefra woman who led her here. Finally arrived at their training spot, the old woman stopped and faced her. ...Gulp... Kouri felt nervous for that she felt that this woman hold numerous amounts of life experience and wisdom, not even her mother hold such presence. Then the woman mentioned about how it's a shame that Kouri died at such a young age and implored her to stay with her as the other Svefra were not familiar with ghosts. "U-uhm... it's okay, Sir Ethan said that... 'You have a voice, you have feelings and thoughts and worries. To me that is all you need to be alive.' Ehehehe~" The blind bard words still etched deep into her soul. After a few moments, the elderly woman asked for the mist-filled jar and pulled out a dagger, the dagger was worn and dull, unlike Kouri's new and sharp steel dagger. Uhm... I have one... why is she giving me a new one? Kouri decided to keep it to herself as it would be impolite to question your mentor. The woman then mentioned about elder ghosts with the ability to create small storms, Kouri's eyes lit up excitedly at that statement "I want to do that too!!" She grinned a toothy grin at the woman. The woman then set the dagger between them, and told her to practice with it and she can replenish her soulmist should Kouri get tired. Aaaaaaaaaah~! I see! So the mist is indeed what ghosts like me have! Ehehehe~ "Okay then, Madame! Hehe, I shall begin!" Kouri extended her tendrils and picked up the dagger, spinning it around herself for a few times, it was her favorite move, she thought it is very cool and elegant, yet deadly at the same time. "Wheeeeeeeee~" Twirling around like a ballerina, Kouri commanded the dagger to make various slashing and stabbing moves, it was still crude and unrefined, then she aimed at a pole and practiced her throwing technique. After that, she repeated it again and again, until she felt that the dagger is getting heavy. Unh... so... I see, if the things I hold are getting heavy that means I'm getting tired...

[Cyrus Blackfire]

Cyrus had always possessed a natural talent of observation, he preferred to watch and wait biding his time before acting upon something. As such, when had wandered onto the scene of Kouri practicing her Soul Mist projection he had kept to himself deciding it best to watch and get a feel for what they would be getting into. The oddity of the Svefra placing some kind of substance in jars did not escape his notice and his analytical gaze swept over them, trying to figure out what exactly it was they were doing.

The old woman watching Kouri go about her business was the subject of some scrutiny, much like the other Svefra she was an unknown quantity. Something about her put him ill at ease, not being one to casually toss aside odd feelings he decided to keep an eye on her. In games of strategy one had to be aware of all pieces on the board, no matter how inconsequential they might first appear, to do otherwise was to invite disaster.

The tall warrior undid his weapon harness and placed his greatsword down next to him, rolling his shoulders slightly at the deduction of the weight. The man had a rather friendly expression on his face, only by carefully examining his dark eyes could anyone have guessed his calculating nature.

Cyrus would not speak until he was approached, figuring it best to give Kouri time to flex her muscles, figuratively of course. This would allow more time to gather initial information, a vital necessity if he was going to be spending time at sea with these people. That was him, the quiet strategist, ever assessing the pieces on the board and their best placement to his advantage.

[Anchor]

Among the Svefra, there was no recognition that Cyrus was there at all. No one looked up from their task, not even a nod in his direction to acknowledge that he was there. That didn’t mean he went unnoticed necessarily, but if anyone did see him there then they deemed their immediate work of greater import. Some of the Svefra began stopping though, jarring up what was left of whatever they were making and waiting with their eyes closed while those around them finished likewise. Once everyone in a group had finished, though there weren’t many, they began smearing the substance into small darts, pressing until it was pretty much in the darts, busying themselves with this new task. This allowed Cyrus to observe further, but it also left him up for similar scrutiny. Though she did not turn, the elderly woman who sat bundled up beside her tent, the same one that had given Fubuki the dagger to practice with, was watching the man out of the corner of her eye. He matched the description Fubuki had given her earlier, so Cyrus Blackfire it must have been. She kept track of where his face turned, not quite young enough to follow his eyes, and took note of the fact he made no effort to come forward. The way in which she did it too suggested some experience in paying attention to the peripheral as well as the focus. One could only imagine why. Meanwhile, Fubuki’s supposed training was entertaining her quite well. Her control over her soulmist was quite vague and loose, but she was able to direct the dagger more or less where she wanted most of the time. She would not be parrying or slipping past any defenses anytime soon, but the flurrying style in which she swung the knife around would be effective in its own way. When it came to throwing however, she was much more inaccurate. Especially with only a tent pole as a target, Fubuki’s attempts more often missed than hit, and those that caught on the wood were likely by luck anyway. She grew tired pretty quickly though, having exerted herself quite fully for the sake of practice. Fortunately, the old woman had been keeping a close eye on the amount of soulmist that came off of Fubuki, watching it as the dusty-misty-like substance began to fade. When Fubuki tried and failed to lift up the dagger again, the jar was offered. “Absorb,” she suggested. “Given freely, it will replenish your strength somewhat. Not to the level it had been before you started, but it will satisfy and rest you enough so that you may continue for a bit longer.” While the ghost took care of replenishing her soulmist, the woman picked up the dagger that had been laid between the two of them. “You probably have noticed already,” she began, “that it is much more tiring and difficult to throw than it is to simply carry, so to speak.” She offered the dagger hilt first to the dead girl in front of her. Then when it was taken, she would stand up and shuffle into her tent, returning a moment later with a pole similar to the ones that propped up the tent. Another man of the pod hurried over to help as she drove it into the ground. “The dagger is dull so that you may practice for longer,” she explained. “Weapons in both good and bad condition are the same to a ghost, and while a fresh weapon may cut that pole to pieces in a few strokes that dagger there will take about a dozen or so in the same place before there’s a risk of the pole falling.” Settling back into her former position, she gave Fubuki a nod. “This time, focus mainly on overwhelming a potential enemy. Your soulmist is easier to move than our arms, and so you can make it appear as if you are coming from multiple places at once if you keep it fast enough. The target’s panic will do the rest. Focus on hitting that pole in as many places as possible, focusing more on speed than accuracy.” OOCI don’t know if you’ve considered this, but ghosts can’t exactly carry their possessions. I’m not sure if you’ve made arrangements, but I suggest that Cyrus carry all things tangible between the two of you, even that which may be more useful to Fubuki.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Huff... haaa... I'm tired... Kouri frowned as she can't seem to pick up her training dagger. Then the old woman offered her the mist-filled jar and told her to absorb its contents. "Uhm... absorb? Like uuh... I must eat it? O... kay..." Kouri slowly touched the contents with her soulmist and can feel something... something good. O...oh... it feels... good... aaaah~ Kouri closed her eyes as she proceeded to consume the jar's soulmist content, she sighed in pleasure. Oh wow... that was awesome... I want more! Kouri was about to ask the old svefra woman more, but decided against it. She was just too... wise and definitely someone you don't want annoy. After absorbing the soulmist, Kouri could feel some of her strength returning "Ahaha! I think I can practice again". Kouri quickly accepted the training dagger offered by the old woman. "Thank you, Madame" Kouri said as she bowed a bit, Kouri hold high amounts of respect for the elderly Svefra. Then the woman stood up and went for her tent U-uhm... where are you going? eeh... she'll come back later... Kouri took the time to take a short break and examined her surroundings then she spotted... him, Cyrus Blackfire, her master and mentor. "HEEEEEEEEEEEY!!! MASTEEEEEER!! Ehehehehe~" Kouri shouted to him and waved both of her hands while doing small jumps, a wide grin on her face. "U-uhm! I'm practicing right now, so uuuh... I'll talk to you after I'm done, okay~" Kouri said as she put her hands behind her back and slowly swayed her body side to side. A few moments later, the woman came back and with the help of a svefra man drove a pole to the ground. Kouri looked at them curiously, she decided she would just wait for the woman's explanation. Her decision was correct as the elder proceeded to explain about how weapons matter to a ghost and told her to hit the pole in many places as possible with emphasize on speed rather than accuracy. "Very well then, Madame..." Kouri slightly bowed as the training dagger spun around herself. "I shall begin!" with that declaration Kouri quickly commanded the dagger to unleash a flurry of slashes to the pole, she didn't care if each attempt hit or not; all she focused on is attempting to slash the pole as fast as possible from every direction. Kouri commanded the dagger to slash the pole at every side; front, side, and rear. "Hahahaha~ This is fun!" Kouri said as she spun around, her ethereal white hair swaying with her motion.

[Cyrus Blackfire]

Cyrus offered a small wave to his protégé, a smile on his face as he did. It was good that she would get some practice in, her skills could use further honing but she was well on her way to mastering her powers. He watched with great interest as Kouri absorbed the contents of the jar, noting that it seemed to revitalize her. The tall warrior rubbed his stubble, he was certainly intrigued as to what kind of magic could produce the substance.

The man approached the old woman, still weary of her. It was times like these when he had wished that he had listened to his mother when had instructed him on the value of Auristics. It would have been nice to have his suspicions confirmed. Instead all he had was an uneasy feeling in his gut, which could have easily just been attributed to paranoia.

"I am curious as to what magic allows for the creation of this mist. I don't suppose you would mind indulging in my curiosity?" Cyrus inquired as politely as he was able.

The tall warrior was ever on the look out for knowledge regarding magic disciplines, especially ones that could be used to increase the power of his followers. His mother had taught him much of the theory of other magic disciplines but this mist was a complete mystery to him. He was not looking for a detailed explanation, just a name would probably point him in the right direction.

Cyrus knew that his path would require much power, power that magic could easily provide for those with the will to use it. It was certainly dangerous, but the path to power was paved with risks.

[Anchor]

After resuming her seat, the elderly woman watched with tired eyes as the young ghost began doing her best to tear apart to pole from all angles. Indeed, there was apparently no rhyme or reason to Fubuki’s attacks, and though it might have been the imagination it seemed there was a small smile adding to the crinkles around the Svefra’s cheeks. It was minute though, if there at all, and still she sat watching her newly made student. It was in this position with which she greeted Cyrus, which is to say she did not greet him at all. When the man stated his interest in the magic behind the subastance that Fubuki had consumed, the elder just sat and watched the ghost hack away at the pole, eyes even and unwavering. Not even a grunt of acknowledgement escaped her throat, nor did her eyes even flicker to the side to show that she had noticed him. An uncomfortable silence settled. Then, after a chime had passed, her blue irises turned on the land-dweller. “The proper way to greet an elder, young man, would be to ask ‘how do you do?’ and then introduce yourself,” she instructed, straight-faced without a hint of jest. “Respect goes a long way, sir Blackfire. You would do well to remember that. It might help you in the future.” There was no ice in her eyes as she spoke, no utter disapproval or disregard, just the maternal instinct that seemed to come to some as they aged. “Do not always be in such a rush to discover what may be useful that you ignore the hearts and minds of those you affect while doing so. Disregarding the power and thoughts of others will catch up with you in the end, and the result is never favorable.” Sighing, the old woman’s eyes gaze returned to where Fubuki was practicing, the dagger buzzing through the air like a fly as it hacked away at the pole. For a moment she watched in the same deadpan expression that she had been wearing earlier. At last, she continued the train of thought that she had left at. “My name is Ophea. I am Lia of the Deathspeaker pod, who you see here. We are not well known on the seas or land, but we are nevertheless a member of our oceanic family, and so we gather here at the request of a friend of mine so that we may hunt down Braten.” There was no hatred at the mention of the blasphemer’s name, surprisingly. Only a resigned acceptance of foolishness and bold ignorance. Her wrinkles seemed to deepen, aging her infinitely more. “The magic you have taken an interest in is called Spiritism, which is the discipline regarding all things to do with ghosts. I’m surprised that you are unaware of it, having one of the deceased as traveling companion. There is no initiation required as of personal magics, it takes only knowledge and time to learn and use.” She stopped there, just short of what might have sounded to some like an offer. With one hand she beckoned to one of her podmates, who hurried over with another jar of soulmist, and nodded with appreciation as she took it in the folds of her cloak. When Fubuki grew tired again - which was only a matter of time - Ophea was waiting with the open jar, offering it to the ghost as she had done last time. “Speed requires just as much control as accuracy,” she offered. “It will not get you through all situations, but on a deck of flesh and blood fighters it will be enough to aid us. Confusion is also a powerful tool, and will distract them from the true threat for longer as well.” While the ghost consumed her soulmist, Ophea turned to Cyrus. “You will want to learn to fight differently from her. I will have one of the pod teach you, one who is experienced at dispatching the living. Before that though, I would like to know what your sleeping arrangements are. There are no spare tents here, though you are free to set up your own tent with ours if you wish to remain close. Otherwise, there may still be some empty tents over in the part of the camp where the land-dweller mercenaries have grounded themselves.” Once Fubuki had emptied the jar, Ophea took it and placed it next to the other one. “Very good,” she commended quietly. “If you would like to, you can keep training yourself. Accuracy may not be as important, but it is still useful, so if you would like to try then you may do so. I would also like to see how powerful you are at materialization and possession eventually, but there is no rush. We have time, I’m sure, before we discover the location of our target.”

[Fubuki Kouri]

"There! Take that! Ohohoho~! Eiiii~!" Kouri was happily hacking away at the pole. Her form spinning and twirling around like an ethereal ballerina, her blood-stained dress seemed to be slowly billowing up and down, defying physics and gravity. The dagger flew around dangerously as it hacked away at the training pole. Oh? Master is talking with her... Ehehe~ Kouri can't help but eavesdropped at their conversation. Ahaha~ She giggled in her mind at the awkward silence the elder created, then she heard her introduced herself. Oh... so her name is Ophea... then Madame Ophea~ and what's a Deathspeaker? Hmm... perhaps they speak to dead people... like me Kouri pondered as her human form stood still and made a thinking pose, her right arm crossed on her chest and her left arm holding her chin while her tendrils still hacking away at the pole. After a few moments Kouri's Soulmist visibly weakened as she grew tired. "Fueeeh... M-madame Ophea, can I have some mor-" Kouri was about to ask for more of that delicious mist in a jar snack, but it seemed the woman already saw her fatigue and offered her that delicious jar before she even asked. "Yay! Thank you, Madame! Ehehe~" Kouri materialized herself and politely grabbed the jar with both her hands and her tendrils as to look like she's politely receiving it like a normal human would. "Uhun~ I understand! Our enemies will futilely try to attack me and my... dagger will stab their backs... ehehehe~" Kouri grinned excitedly at Ophea's explanation regarding her abilities. Oooooh~ It feels so... good... how can it feel so good... Kouri closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure as she consumed the soulmist in the jar. After she was done, she gave it back to Ophea. Ophea then told her to continue practicing should she wish for it. "Uhm... okay then, Madame~ I'll continue~ But uuuh, I want to try my other abilities as well, okay~ Just tell me when you're ready to teach me! Ehehe~ Thank you~" Kouri politely bowed and returned to practicing with her dagger.

[Anchor]

While Fubuki hacked away at the pole, Ophea and Cyrus appeared to be in deep conversation about... something. There were no raised voices, but the talking seemed to be intense on both sides. The words "Spritism" and "Soulmist" came up quite a few times during the course of the conversation. The old Svefra wasn't very animated, remaining in the same position nearly the whole time, hidden beneath the folds of her robe and resting on one of her tent's supports. Opposite her, the young man nodded frequently, often drawing in the sand as if making a diagram to clear something up or make sense of something she'd said. After a few chimes, Cyrus nodded with finality and stood up, walking over to one of the groups of Svefra and exchanging words with another, a man this time. Then the two made their way over to where a series of weapons sat in a rack alongside one of the tents, obviously intending to train or spar. Fubuki's attention was grabbed however by Ophea's voice, who could now focus on the ghost having taken care of her living guest. "Young ghosts tend to be weaker in their powers, expending their soulmist much more rapidly than an ancient phantasm. Do not be afraid if you need to consume several jars a bell, it is perfectly natural for someone who has so little experience using it." She beckoned for another jar, and soon was holding it before her like the previous two. While Fubuki rejuvenated herself in part, Ophea waited silently with her eyes trained on the ghost. There was a heaviness in them, a weariness that came with seeing many things that tired the soul, wore it out. Whether it was caused by or directed at Fubuki was impossible to tell, but something had reminded her of memories past that certainly weren't the fondest. "Before we continue," the Lia said after a moment, "it would be prudent for me to be aware of how much experience you have with possession and materialization. We will not practice the latter on anyone here, as I am not willing to have my family harmed even in the name of practice, but as Spiritists we are all much more sensitive to the presence of ghosts, a sensitivity you can use to your advantage in practicing possession. Tell me, how many have you possessed?"

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Ha! Eeeeey~ Hehehe~ Take that!" Kouri happily announced her attacks, acting as if the pole was a real enemy. It was quite sinister if one thought about it, a child enjoying the prospect of stabbing, slashing, and killing someone with her own hands. "Ahahaha!" Her haunting giggle echoed in the area. "Off with your head!" She slashed the pole once "Off with your head!" She slashed the pole twice. "And... off with your head as well!" She spun around and slashed the pole thrice. After doing those energetic movements, Kouri's vision suddenly blurred itself and she felt quite light-headed. "Huff.. haah... I'm... I'm beat... why do I feel so tired..." Kouri fell down on all fours as she shook her head, trying to focus her increasingly blurring sight. "Huff... fueh... M-madame Ophea? Oh..." Kouri wanted to ask for more of those delicious jars when she saw Cyrus still talking to her. "Oh... uhm... heeeh..." She gasped in exhaustion. Oh, Masteeeeer... please be quick... Kouri was in a dilemma, she didn't want to interrupt them but she also didn't want to feel this awful anymore. Unable to make a decision, Kouri allowed her body to lie face down on the ground. "Eeeeeen...." She let out an exhausted growl. "Fue?" She slowly lifted her head from the ground hearing Ophea's voice that seemed to be directed at her. Oh... Master's done... She couldn't really grasp what Ophea was saying as she was very tired, but she nodded her head nonetheless for politeness. When the woman offered her another jar, Kouri wanted to jumped up and immediately consume it, but she restrained herself and accepted the jar politely. Ooooh... aaaaah~ It... it feels so good... oooooooh~ She was curling like a ball on the ground as her tendrils consumed the jar's content. Her face was filled with complete bliss, like the jar was the solve of all her problems. Her heavenly trance was rather interrupted when Ophea spoke to her again, telling about Kouri's other ghostly abilities and from the sound of it, Materialization was a rather serious ability. She seemed to be saying that she would not let her practice on... her family? Kouri didn't really pay attention to what Ophea was saying, the pleasure that the jar gave her was too great to be ignored. "Uh huh... yeah... Madame... I see..." She answered absent-mindedly. What did Madame Ophea said again? Something about Spirit something... oh? Spiritist, yeah... like Sir Castor "Uhn..." With a huff, Kouri stood up and gave back the jar to Ophea. Good thing that her question was heard rather clearly by Kouri. "Ehm... let me see... I have possessed my Master... and Sir Castor.. oh! Sir Castor is a spiritist too! We uuh... kinda started out sour, but we got better in the end! He even gave me some of his soulmist! Ehehe~" She swayed her body left to right at her odd relationship with a certain multiple personality spiritist named Castor. "T-thank you very much for the jar, Madame... now then hmmm... I want to continue my training! I want to practice some technique of mine!" Kouri picked up her training dagger again and began trying other moves than slashing. She was planning to throw her dagger accurately. Kouri held up the dagger between her eyes, taking aim for the pole. Then she slowly pushed it to the direction of the pole and with a quick push, hurled it to the pole. It... missed... "Iyaaaaaaahn!" Kouri scratched her hair in annoyance, why couldn't she do it correctly this time?! The last time she fought Castor she could hit him... oh that was because she was in a frenzy and had four daggers with her. I will try again! Kouri floated to her dagger and picked it up, then she took her distance, took aim and tried again. "Grrrrrrrrrrr!" She missed... again. I will not give up! Kouri's face was full of determination. This pole was going to be stabbed! She would make sure of it! After trying it again five times... *stab!* "Yaaaaay! It hit!" She succeeded, it was either a sign she was improving or by mere luck. She approached the pole, removed the dagger, and rubbed the dagger against her cheek. Ehehehe... I'll try that technique now... A smirk appeared on her face, she wanted to try her Blink Strike technique. "Fuuuh..." She was standing at about two feet from the pole, locking her gaze to it. "HA!" She quickly blinked from her location, appearing behind the pole and facing the dagger held by her tendril. The pole was now located between Kouri and her dagger, then she continued with hurling the dagger towards the pole. *Wooosh!* It missed the pole and flew through Kouri. If Kouri was a normal human, she would have been stabbed by her own dagger in the head. "..............that's embarassing..." Kouri slowly looked at Ophea, oh no... she was watching. Even though her expression remained calm, Kouri couldn't help but feel she was laughing in her mind at Kouri's failure. "Sigh... I guess I'll try again..." Finding no other solution than to continue practicing, Kouri blinked to her dagger, picked it up, and approached the pole again. She tried doing the Blink Strike technique five more times until she felt the toll on her Soulmist. "Uuuuhm... need... more... jars..." With exhausted voice, Kouri literally dragged herself to Ophea. "Madame... I'm tired... I wanna eat and I wanna play... play play play!" Her child-like impulses was getting to her as she threw a tantrum, banging her hands and feet on the ground while lying face-down.