Solo Lakan Fangs

[Vypec]

13th of Winter, 515 A.V. The Kuvay'Nas Lodge Vypec had been bothered by what had happened at the Night Tower a few days ago. It had worried him to his core at a level that he had not felt since the depth of fear the Night Mother's physical manifestation had caused. Vypec and Vypal had both been quietly brooding on the events of the night that had turned them into a shadowy representation of their body. They had entertained the idea of asking their father, Vyandos, for help. Or else describing the sensation and the night to any who would listen within the Lodge. But their considerable instinct for secrecy won out. Now they both sat in the Lodge, staring at the wall and recollecting their blessing or, or curse. Vypec had just gotten off shift at the main gate and was now readying himself to return home. He did not live at the Lodge, thinking it a place for full Kuvay'Nas. He did enjoy the camaraderie that the place allowed for, and being noticed there was a good way to build awareness in the Squad Leaders. Someday he hoped one would give him notice and he would ascend to the ranks of full Branch Kuvay'Nas. But for now the volunteer duties were a good way to hone his abilities. Today he felt none of the urge to connect with the others who shared the common rooms of the Lodge. They joked or played cards together and he sat in silence, bothered by the doom he felt. Had he simply hallucinated? No. It had been real, of that he was sure. The sensation had been so otherworldly that Vypec could not decide if it was painful or not. He had been made up of shadow. The creatures of the Night Mother had even identified him as such. It bothered him that he so feared that, being a devout worshippers of the Queen of Shadows. Vypec sighed and placed the Lakan back into its sheath. He had taken it out and ran his callus palms across the flat of the curved blade, as he did when he was deep in thought. It was like he was reconnecting with a piece of himself. Vypec stood and ran his fingers across the shaved part of his scalp, frowning vaguely at nothing. He needed some fresh air, he needed to walk and think away from the sounds of laughter. The night was cool and not yet full of the crisp chill of Winter. The perfect breeze played against his ears as Vypec inhaled deeply. This was one of his favorite times of the year, between the seasonal depths. Vypec began to walk. Where? He did not know. He simply put one foot in front of the other and trusted in his body to do the rest. Riverfall was not yet in a slumber, but it was reaching that time in the night. Syna's light was fading fast and the Night Mother's subjects, the shadows, were creeping out more boldly. Vypec heard their whispers without paying attention to them. For ten years he had heard their voices in the shadowy language Makath. Most of these shadows would not be speaking anything for of interest to him at the moment. Vypec and Vypal had learned to tune out the lesser whispers. "Violence, death." One shadow's voice rose above the rest as Vypec walked along a curving street of houses near the Gideon Arena. Vypec stopped and turned towards the sound of the voice. It no longer whispered. The shadows around him paused in their whispers. "What? What was that?" Vypec asked the darkness around the arena. The high walls of the Arena cast deep shadows. Vypec stepped into them and repeated his question. The shadows did not respond right away. He sighed and placed a hand against the stone of the Arena wall. 647 words

[Vypec]

"Listen." the same whispering voice said, urging. Vypec heeded its advice. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his other senses. The faint sound of metal chimes carried from the distance. "What is that?" He asked the shadows, curiosity consuming him. It was nice to finally be thinking about something other than the night at the Night Tower. The metallic chimes were not in any discernible rhythm. "It is violence." The shadow said. Vypec was confused, the shadow's words did not help at all. Typical. It's a duel, inside the arena. Vypal said suddenly. His exclamation had the air of a struggled victory. Who would be dueling inside the arena at night? Vypec frowned, glancing up the wall. Now that Vypal had said it, a sword fight seemed to be the only answer. Vypec started to jog around the stone wall of the massive arena, searching for the entrance in the dark. The walls on this side of the Gideon Arena were black with shadow. Someone who doesn't want to be observed. Vypec said, wondering if there would be a body found in the dust of the Arena upon sunrise. Vypec was curious. It was a side effect of being touched by Akajia, Queen of Secrets. Both Vypec and Vypal could not resist the lure of the unknown. So the dark brother made no objection to the sudden alteration of their direction, and the snooping. Vypal never had an issue with snooping. "Violenceeeeee." The shadows continued to whisper. Vypec frowned into the darkness. These shadows were always trying to be mysterious and enticing. Well, we're already investigating your claim, damn you! Vypec finally came to the large wooden doors. Vypec let his hands grasp the iron latch to one of the huge doors. He pulled hard, but the oaken door just trembled. How had the damn fighters gotten in there? Had they locked the Arena doors after entering? Had they scaled them? He looked up at the towering gate. Impossible. The real question is how are we getting in? Vypal said, sounding puzzled. If we find out how they found a way in then we will have our entrance. Vypec said, feeling the edge of the doors with his fingers. The metal latch was most definitely locked, and Vypec had no key. He was far from skilled enough to even know how to pick the lock. The Akalak growled in frustration. Well we both know one way to enter, though I'm not sure how willing you are to partake of that special ability. Vypal said. Of course. The shadow form. Did Vypal really expect him to agree to use it after they hadn't figured out what triggered it or how to return to normal. What if they stayed a shadow forever? Never physical enough to interact but always there to observe? It was a horrible vision, no matter their devotion to the Night Mother. How are we going to learn to control it if we don't experience it Vypec? Vypal was attempting to use logic to persuade him. Vypec sat in the shadows of the Arena, secretly hoping his brother would find a way to persuade him. Outwardly he remained stoically against attempting to incite the shadow form. What if it happens again and we know nothing of how it works? Vypal continued. 553 words

[Vypec]

What if we get stuck in the form? Vypec said, rapping the wood of the door with his knuckles in frustration. Not to mention, we don't even know how it works, brother. Learn by doing. Vypal said, annoyingly mimicking the words of Dremandos. For all that he claimed to never pay attention to Vyandos or Dremandos, Vypal sure could pull out their words when he needed to use them against Vypec. Come on Vy. Someone could be in trouble in there. The attempt at genuine concern was almost believable, except it was Vypec who it was directed at. Vypec knew his brother too well to believe that. The use of his nickname, however, indicated that Vypal was at least trying to be serious. Vypec sighed and rubbed a callus hand across his jawline. If we die, I hope Akajia spits your soul out. He said finally. The Akalak walked back out into the moonlit street, urging his mind back to that night when they had transformed. What had been the factor that lead to the change? They had been at the Night Tower, home of Akajia. But that hadn't seemed to be it. She hadn't made herself visible, nor shown any special approval or disapproval. What was more, the shadows inside the Tower had been just as surprised as he was. No, it was something else. He remembered the chill air, the howl of the wind. He remembered the shadows whispering. He remembered his own shadow there... His shadow! It had done something before the change happened. It had been such a shocking moment that the event was a blur. The shadows all seemed to mix together in his memory, like shadows do for those untouched by Akajia. What had it done? Brother, what did our shadow do right before it happened? Vypec asked finally, after minutes of not remembering. It did something right before our hand started to change. Vypal was silent for a moment, thinking. Didn't the thing climb up on our back? It was hard to discern with all the other shadows in the room. They all sort of blended together. Vypal said slowly, the memory just as vague for him as it was for Vypec. Vypec nodded energetically. Yes! that had been it. He remembered now the odd feeling of the shadow ascending his body and clawing at him with dark tendrils. Vypec looked down at the clearly defined shadow beneath them in the bright moonlight. It was silent where the other shadows of the night were whispering things at him. The dark spot was oddly ominous to Vypec. It represented the fear of that dark night. He took a deep breath and released it, feeling his heart speeding up. He was about to try something quite crazy and he had no idea if it would work, if it would damn him to non-existence, or if it would simply make him look a fool. He secretly hoped it was the latter. He knelt in the shadow, and directed his full attention to it. His shadow seemed to stir, as if it knew what was coming. Vypec took an unsteady breath and said in Makath "Do it, make me a shade." 534 words

[Vypec]

The shadow erupted off the ground, grabbing at him greedily. Everywhere it touched, he began to fade into non-existence. His body turned from a dark purple to a dark ethereal akin to the shadows all around him. Vypec and Vypal both exclaimed in astonishment. Their previous experience with the sensation not enough to keep the shock out of it the second time. Vypec stood as a shadow in Akalak form. His skin was dark and insubstantial and yet his figure was distinct. He felt a shattering moment of clarity. He had known how to do it, as if the power was as simple as breathing. The shadows around the street were stunned into silence. They were momentarily unable to find something to say. He was sure it was a first for them, seeing a mortal Akalak turned into one of them. Vypal on the other hand, had a lot to say on the subject. You did it! The shadow, of course it was the shadow. He said quickly. Do you think we can slip into the arena? Do you think whoever is in there will see us? Can we make noise in this form? He was more excited than Vypec was used to seeing him. Vypec silenced him though. We will see. We will see. For now, let's try to get through the gate. Vypec said, eyeing the solid wood of the entry gate to the Gideon Arena. His mind told him that it was impossible. He had done it before only by accident, running in fear. Vypec stared first at the gate, solid and unyielding. Then at himself, dark and incorporeal. We must be the one that lets the gate slip through us. Vypal said slowly, putting emphasis on the last word. He had a point. It made sense, considering that they were now the thing that was less real than a wooden door. Vypec decided not to linger on that obviously disturbing thought. Okay, let's walk through that gate then. He said, stepping forward into the blackness of the Arena's shadow. He all but vanished in the darkness. A passerby would not notice his existence unless they stepped within an arm's reach of the Akalak. Vypec closed his eyes and held his breath. He did not want to distract himself from the task at hand, or remind himself of how damn impossible it was to walk through solid wood. He also didn't want to see what it was like to walk through it. Vypec found himself stepping forward, waiting for the sensation to strike him. But it didn't. He found himself continuing to walk and eventually opened his eyes, knowing it had already happened. Well that was anticlimactic. Vypal said ruefully. The dark brother was excited. They were about to see what was going on in the Arena. Vypec could hear the clashing of steel audibly now, and it was definitely a duel. Vypal had been correct in his deduction. But who would be dueling at this hour? He were in the antechamber of the seating, in which there were two exits into the seating areas for the huge arena. Vypec leapt, now a bit more familiar with the shadow forms capabilities. He landed across the room, near the left entrance. Beyond was a staircase upwards that lead to the very front rows of the stands. He could now hear the minuscule and subtle sounds that were emitted by living things. He thought he could hear grunts of effort and the shuffling of feet. The shadow Akalak quickly ascended the steps a and stepped out into the open air. The seats were completely empty, as was to be expected at this time of night. The higher levels were completely enshrouded in shadows. The lower rows were splayed with a merrily dancing orange light, the product of nine torches placed in a ring in the arena. The torches burned bright and lit up about half the arena proper. Their light cast deep shadows across the seating however, and Vypec moved into the shadow of a pillar, not wanting to be spotted in the light of the torches. What he saw in the arena was truly a mesmerizing sight. Two nearly naked Akalaks waged a single combat war in the dark earthen ring. Both carried two Lakan and wore only a loincloth and a leather mask. One of the combatants had a long silver braid that ran all the way down his back, the other wore his equally white hair up in a ponytail. Both moved with a swiftness and a finesse that Vypec had rarely witnessed. He was in awe as he lurking, a shadow within a shadow. Neither had noticed him. Of course they hadn't. He was little more than a dark spot within an equally dark spot. And they were both intent on their combat. Lakan sprang out, striking and blocking seemingly with a mind of their own. The Akalak both incorporated kicks and elbows, spins and rolls seamlessly into their combat. It was all, Vypec found himself thinking while he watched, more art than combat. This was the epitome of Akalak culture. Vypec felt a reverence for the ritual of it. Neither of these men could instill this type of felling upon just looking at them singularly. The act of Lakan combat here, in this sacred place, invoked one of the deepest prides Vypec had ever felt. The duel itself was an image of the dark people of the Bluevein. If you were a traveling stranger and you witnessed this duel you would begin to understand a vital part of the Akalak soul. Duality, combat, beauty, discipline. Vypec was entranced. He leant against the pillar and watched silently. He completely forgot about his state of being, his shadowy being. The night drew on at the Akalak continued, barely pausing in their assault on each other. Vypec lost track of time and space, forgot his woes and his duties whilst observing this most skillful duel. 998 words

[Vypec]

As Vypec watched the two amazing duelists dance across the Gideon Arena like smoke on a breeze he forgot temporarily about the the fact that he was wrapped up in his shadowy curse-state. Their abilities so surpassed anything he would witness in the Kendoka Sasaran on your average day that all else but reverence left his mind. This, Vypec soon realized, was the level at which one wished to live. This was what it looked like when masters sparred. Their movements were representative of a higher thought process. Where your average warrior would seek to overcome and counter, they sought to create and innovate. They built the tempo of the combat from the ground up, constantly changing it based on perceived nuances in the flow of their interaction. Vypec saw that this was what was happening, but he could not see it the way they did. He was but a breath compared to their song. Vypec found himself unwittingly leaning forward in excitement as he watched the duel. The Akalak could not help himself. What self identifying warrior would be able to look away from the artistry of this nighttime masterpiece unfolding. Simply by the fact that they possessed two of the coveted Lakan meant that these two individuals had far surpassed the average Akalak. He watched with rapt attention, now leaning out over the stone banister of the lowest level of seating. The torchlight played across stone blocks along the wall below him. Long forgotten was any notion of stealth or the potential to be discovered. The two silver-haired Akalak dueled on, their movements so much more that physical manifestations of skill. For Vypec watching on in silence, it was like watching a sculptor fashion clay into beauty. The torchlight flashed and glinted off their blades in a way that highlighted the patterns in which they attacked. Vypec was intent upon them, right up until the moment his eyes blurred over and his ears shut to the world. He was vaguely aware of a falling sensation as he thought in horror over the shadow-price. He had completely forgotten about the cost of using his ability! Vypec could not hear nor see anything, though he felt the impact against his shoulder and cried out in pain. Disoriented and fearful, Vypec struggled to his hands and knees. He proved the surrounding area with spread fingers and felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was inside the arena. Fear, raw and chaotic, spread through him. It was one thing to be thrust into a dangerous situation, it was another thing to be thrust into a dangerous situation without the use of your eyes or ears. He was struggling to move, trying to crawl vaguely to where he sensed less light, instinct taking over. Akajia's shadows could protect him if he could just... Vypec felt an impact on his back. A boot had struck him and sent him tumbling to the dirt again. Vypec tasted the dry stuff in his mouth as a blade pricked the side of his neck, right over the life-giving vein. Vypec stopped moving completely. He felt his pulse rising as tiny pricks of the blade, the Lakan blade, as his vein bulged and retracted against it. This was it. Vypec was about to be sliced and diced like a platter of finger foods. He took small comfort in the fact that he would, at least, be finished by one of two of the finest foes a warrior could ask for. Vypec heard a faint series of words, as if heard from far away and underwater at the same time. He said "I can't hear or see." The Lakan pressed deeper into his neck, drawing a droplet of blood. The sounds repeated themselves, but Vypec couldn't make it out. The young Akalak tried to control his heart and spread his limbs out on the dirt of the arena, thoroughly humiliating himself. "Please, I am Vypec Algranos, son of Vyandos Algranos, General Kavran to the Kuvay'Nas." He paused. The Lakan seemed to be poised, waiting for his next words. "I am... Afflicted with a blessing or a curse, I do not know. It was how I got in here and saw your duel. But the price is my vision and my hearing for a time. I am helpless in your hands." Vypec hated the pathetic words, even as he said them. He knew how it sounded. He was begging for life. Vypec waited, like a rabbit caught in a trap, for their verdict. The heartbeats between his words and the muffles sounds of the duelists were excruciating. Finally, Vypec felt the tip of the blade leave his neck and rough hands hoisted him up. They set him against something cold and hard, with his arse and feet in the dirt of the arena. With a moment's investigating Vypec found they had propped him up against the wall. He could hear the muttered voices conversing. To his dulled senses they were one long stream of sound, indistinguishable from one another. The only thing he could tell from listening was that their voices sounded vaguely masculine. Of course they were though, he Had already seen that. So Vypec wasn't sure if it was just his subconscious reaffirming what he already knew, or if he could actually differentiate minute details such as gender. They sat there for a long time, Vypec praying to both his deities for survival. There was nothing stopping him from becoming a Lakan grinder. There was certainly no reason for these two to forgive him his snooping. There was definitely no reason that they should fear discovery if he should be found dead the next morning. But perhaps they were curious about his affliction and wanted so see what would become of him. Eventually Vypec became aware that his vision could now differentiate more than just the presence of or lack of light. He could see color, represented in blurred, vague spots across his vision. He was surprised to find he could now differentiate their voices as well, though he couldn't tell what they were saying. As time continued to pass one of the blurred colors that had been moving across his dulled vision came into more focus. Vypec could make out limbs and dark blue skin. This, he guessed, was one of the duelists pacing in front of him. Vypec did not want to let on that he was regaining his senses just yet. He had yet to experience the recollection of his senses after the shadow synergies with him. Vypec felt he should let it run it's course before adding two angry, master duelists to the equation. 1114 words