Remnants of the Earth
EDANITH => The Frontier => Topic started by: Anonymous on May 12, 2008, 02:04:34 pm
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This certainly was not Reshona’s idea of fun, wandering a lifeless icy environment searching for said non-existent life with two fire mages. Evil fire mages at that.
They seemed to be too cold to cause trouble today though which was surprising considering their ability was fire. She wasn’t going to complain though they were actually being quiet for once.
Their mission at the Eir Ocean was look for signs of life; the reasoning behind sending the trio was that Kasu and Sithon could melt parts of the ice and see if anything had survived frozen in it. So far they hadn’t found anything, and Reshona doubted anything could exist in such an environment.
“Can we go yet?” Sithon managed to say through chattering teeth.
“No,” Reshona said, “We need to find something no matter how small.”
“But it’s freezing!” Kasu moaned, “If we die, you’ll be in trouble!”
“No, if you die, they’ll just assign me another mage,” Reshona corrected.
“Don’t you care about us?” the pair asked in unison, staring at her with their best puppy god eyes.
She didn’t answer and just continued walking.
“Reshona…” they whined.
Argh, why did that always get her? She was too nice for her own good…
“Fine, we’ll start heading back, there’s nothing here anyway.”
“Yay!”
They turned around and began heading back in the direction they came, but unfortunately the snow and wind had started to pick up now, just great. Then the sound of footsteps behind her suddenly stopped. She turned round and saw the pair peering over the edge of the peak.
“You know we’d get there quicker if we just slide down here.”
Reshona went over to them, peered down and discovered it was a long way down. However the ship could be seen at the bottom and the twins were right sliding would be quicker…if they survived that was.
“Do you have a death wish?” Reshona asked.
“No,” Sithon replied, “But there’s plenty of ice around, just let us use our magic and we could make a sled.”
At the mention of ‘magic’ Reshona instantly sensed danger and remembered something their last Mordecai had said to her, just before he was carted away to TRIM because the twins had destroyed him.
“Never ever let them use magic if there aren’t any other Mordecai around.”
That sounded pretty conclusive but then again, he had suffered a mental breakdown and the weather was getting bad.
She suspected she was going to regret it but said, “Alright…”
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Vyne flew over the surface, scanning the surface for the hole in the ground she called home. It was the only place to get away from humans and her damned sister, Demya. The annoying girl was meant to be old enough to have learnt to have shut her mouth but all Demya did was talk. Talk about her appearance.
Vyne flew slowly over the terrain, pausing in the air when she saw humans. Slowing made her altitude drop and in the end she decided landing would be best. A storm was coming anyhow so being on land was best.
But the humans... as much as she hated humans and how they destroyed the earth TWICE, she could not let creatures die in the cold.
'You there, come here or you'll freeze,' she called in an Ancient Adelan accent. She scratched the surface with her feet and pulled her jacket tighter. 10 minutes, that's how long it would take to get back on foot.
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Reshona froze when she suddenly heard a voice, then she turned and saw what would definitely count as ‘life’. How many people had come here and not found anything?
“Hello,” Kasu said cheerfully, “Who might you be?”
The Mordecai sighed internally, the pair could be polite when they wanted but not around her generally or the other soldiers.
“What might you be?” Sithon asked earning himself a kick in the shin from his twin.
Sensing the two fire mages would probably make things worse she stepped forward and said, “Thank you.”
Then she turned to the twins and said, “Follow me and keep your mouths shut.”
When she turned round she knew they were swearing at her behind her back but they had done worse things to her. Like running away and testing her sanity to name only two
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Vyne bowed her head at the thanks and kept walking, her tail and wings dragging slightly behind her. She turned her ugly head and pulled off her hood so that the humans could see her properly, 'I am a Harpy. One of two in existance.'
They got to the hollow cave. She stamped her feet and shook off the snow beofre bending down to feel for the edges of the rock. It moved easily at her unspoken command and she stood up, 'get in.'
Not botherring to see if they would obey she hopped in. The cave would be too small for the four of them so she put shoulder to the rock and punched. The rock wall easily moved back. She continued punching until the the cave became a cavern. She went over to the firepit on the original side of the cave and dropped some roots she had scrounged under the earth for. They had been held captive under the earth for many centuries and were the only ones she found that still looked edible.
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“Cool!” The twins said in unison as the harpy moved the wall back easily.
Reshona groaned internally, she had told them to keep quiet. They never listened to her…Then their incessant questioning began.
“Do you live here?”
“Have you ever met the other harpy?”
“Does the other harpy live here?”
“Can you fly?”
“What’s flying like?”
“What’s your name?”
“What’s the other harpy’s name?”
Reshona pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache was definitely starting.
“Don’t be so rude,” she said to her two charges.
Who was it that had cursed her? She would have dearly liked to know. Maybe their former Mordecai was sat in his TRIM laughing at her knowing she had been burdened with them and he never had to see them again…Perhaps a visit was in order, Reshona thought evilly.
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Vyne closed the earth behind the three and sat down to light the fire.
“Do you live here?”
'Yes.'
“Have you ever met the other harpy?”
'Yes.'
“Does the other harpy live here?”
'No.'
“Can you fly?”
'Yes.'
“What’s flying like?”
'Jump off a mountain, find out.'
“What’s your name?”
'Vyne.'
“What’s the other harpy’s name?”
'Demya. You two are very much like her, she too is useless and annoying.'
Vyne turned back to the Mordacai, 'you are a Mordacai. Why don't you control them?' It was a sharp question. Vyne did not like humans, Mordacai escpecially. Mordacai seemed to think they were better than everyone and everything else in the world. Even their predecessors had been supercilious.
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Reshona had to stifle a laugh when the harpy suggested the twins try jumping off a mountain to find out what was flying was like and implied they were useless and annoying. However, then harpy turned on her.
“Hey, leave Reshona alone,” Kasu said.
“What the..? Did one of the evil children actually stick up for me?”
“Um…well it’s just they’re treated badly enough as it is without me playing with their minds to make them behave,” the Mordecai replied.
That was her reason, and these two had had a worse life than most, they had been born in TRIM and then sold to Edanith as soldiers, some childhood.
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The harpy nodded and lit the fire using sticks, 'good. You care for eachother.'
Bad childhood hey? They were all still chlidren in Vyne's eyes. She put the roots on a rock plate above the fire and watched where the smoke went so that she could make a hole in the roof for air to flow in and out. When the roots were cooked she broke them in half and threw a half to each of her guests.
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Thankfully the two twins didn’t complain about their ‘meal’ but she supposed that the food the mages were given probably didn’t taste of very much. It would certainly explain why whenever she gave them anything vaguely sweet they would behave worse than usual.
Reshona was surprised by what the harpy said but she guessed that was true, the twins did seem to like her even if they didn’t always act like it and she liked them. It was almost like they were her nephews or something. Some of the older Mordecai would probably berate her if she said that out loud but what was the point of treating the mages like slaves, they were more effective and less likely to run away if you were nice to them. Kasu and Sithon had run away from her many times but they never tried to escape from the army, she assumed because TRIM had been worse.
“How long do the snowstorms usually last?” Sithon said, actually asking a sensible question for once.
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Vyne shrugged. 'Anywhere between a few minutes to a few days,' she said before biting into the root. It was slightly dry from being in the ground so long but it tasted good. After eating she began preening herself. Her wings were ruffled from the wind and it was best to fix them now before she needed to fly again. One was broken and she gave it a disgruntled look before handing it to the boy, 'humans like trinkets. Take this.'
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“Cool!” the twins said in unison, causing Reshona to shake her head exasperatedly.
She didn’t like the idea of being stuck here for days but the twins were too entranced by the wing to care. Normally back in Edanith she had the nights to her self and didn’t have to deal with the twins all day accept when they were on missions. Every time a mission with the pair took longer than a couple of days she felt like throwing herself off a ravine.
“The twins are fire mages; maybe there is some way they could use their magic to get us back to our ship?” Reshona suggested, “Or will the storm be too strong?”
She’d probably regret letting the twins use their magic but the sooner they got back to Edanith the better.
With how heavy the snow was falling though, chances were when they went to search for the ship, it would covered in snow and difficult to find. She guessed they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it.
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Vyne eyed the Mordacai. The woman must be stupid, 'you when the wind stops howling, then you will be safe enough, it alone could kill you.'
She finished the root and turned to face a small rock. It riased into the air about 3' and remained there. Another lifted on the other side ot the room. This one was less stable because it was behond her.
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That was disappointing; hopefully the little devils would behave for once but for the minute they seemed happy enough.
Then two of the rocks in the room started floating.
“What the…?” Reshona thought.
She then realised the harpy was doing it; a psychic harpy? That was certainly unusual. Then again she had never met a harpy until today; she had only heard stories about them.
“You’re a psychic?” the twins said in unison, just noticing the floating rocks.
Though they would never openly admit it, they were always a little uneasy around psychics. Reshona wasn’t entirely sure why but she guessed it was to do with something that happened at TRIM. Hopefully they wouldn’t freak out.
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The rocks sank a little as she listened to the trio. Her eyes flicked towards the twins. They were nervous about something. Odd, they were mages; they should be able to handle magic. Had they even seen her enlarge the cavern?
'Partially, this is earth magic. I am training.'
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The twins seemed to relax a little when she said it was Earth Magic partially. That they twins could handle.
“I see,” Reshona said.
She considered adding that there were some earth mages in Edanith but the harpy seemed to dislike the fact she was a Mordecai.
Reshona then felt the twins tugging at their psychic link. They didn’t do that very often…Did they want to show off with their magic? She wasn’t going to let them, they were dangerous anyway and in an enclosed space, fire magic was not a good idea, it’d eat up all the oxygen.
“No,” she said to the twins, “Behave.”
They probably wouldn’t listen but it was always worth a try.
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Slowly and wobbily, another rock lifted into the air. This one did not rise as high as the others. Vyne made an irritated clicking noise and tried to get it to rise higher. The idea was that the harder she focused the more rocks she could lift. It wasn't training for strength but stamina and focus. With other creatures to keep an eye on, paying attention was hard.
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The twins kept tugging, and Reshona was a bit of a disadvantage because there were two of them.
“If you use your magic here you might use all the oxygen, so stop pulling on the bond.”
Kasu scowled and stopped resisting but Sithon didn’t. Oh well, at least it was only one now.
“Is it normal for harpies to have earth magic?” Kasu asked the harpy, “I always pictured them using wind.”
Reshona groaned inwardly, there he went asking questions again. At least it was kept one of the evil children entertained. Sithon however kept trying to cast. The Mordecai had vowed to never use her bond to forcefully stop them though and she wasn’t going to break that.
“Sithon please stop it.”
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Demya scowled and the rocks sank a few inches, 'you are stopping them using their magic?'
She stood up and came up incredibly close to the Mordacai, Reshona she had heard the twins say. She brought her face so that it was almost touching Reshona's.
'Magic is a part of a mage. Stopping them is like stopping them using their arm,' her fetid breath blew into the Mordacai's face as she talked. She thought of twisting an arm but decided against it. The mages DID seem to care about her.
She turned aound and cursed. She had lost concentration and the rocks had fallen. She sat back down and slowly lifted the first rock again before answerring the girl mage's questions.
'Why would that be? What tales have you heard of us?' she asked, 'I use earth magic, my sister has power over vines.'
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[OOC Kasu and Sithon are both male o.O]
Reshona was unnerved when the harpy came so close to her.
“Magic is a part of a mage. Stopping them is like stopping them using their arm.”
Maybe in the past that was true but magic wasn’t as necessary as it had once been now that technology had advanced so much. Besides the twins were potentially dangerous when allowed to use their magic and it wasn’t as if Reshona had chosen to be a Mordecai. She had no say in it whatsoever. Being a Mordecai on a planet such as Lanaes which disliked non-mages was not a good thing.
She breathed a sigh if relief when the harpy backed off again and answered Kasu’s question.
“Why would that be? What tales have you heard of us? I use earth magic, my sister has power over vines.”
“Well, you can fly and I would have thought it strange for some to manipulate earth when they didn’t spend all of their time on it.”
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OOC: opps, sorry. I thought Kasu was a girl.
'I fly poorly. Too many wounds, too much muscle.' She was obviously not going to get much training done while the trio was here but on the plus side, being distracted helped train focus. The rock behind her lifted.
'Do you two train also?' she then looked at the Mordacai, a sour expression on her face, 'would master allow it? We will be here for a long time.'
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The twins both looked at Reshona with puppy dog eyes causing her to groan internally. And she suspected by the look on the harpy’s face that if she refused it would only lead to more hassle.
“Oh alright, don’t go crazy though.”
“Yay!” they said in unison.
They could be quite destructive when necessary and sometimes were, just to annoy her. However they did have some control of their powers.
Sithon created a fiery spiral which snaked around him like a serpent. Kasu on the other hand created lots of tiny little flames in various places around the cave. Sithon always had been the more aggressive of the pair.
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Vyne opened up a second air flute using her magic. This would not do, she glared at the Mordacai again, 'they are untrained?! This is what happens when they are not allowed to use their magic. It becomes less stable.'
'What did you two say your names were? I must teach you where the Mordacai,' she spat the word out, 'have failed.'
The rocks around her wobbled at her annoyance but remained where they were. Perhaps another, larger flute was in order. The roof creaked as the earth pulled apart. She would let them have their fun a little longer though, who knows how long they hadn't been able to use their magic for?
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“Of course I train them, they’re just showing off. And it’s not my fault their magic is unstable when they don’t listen to me or anyone when we’re trying to teach them!”
Reshona hated the implication was she was incapable. She had been the Mordecai for many mages and they had been powerful. It was usually because of injury that they left her. The last mage had been transferred to another Mordecai so she could devote all her time to the little devils that were Kasu and Sithon. Nobody else could handle them or wanted them.
She glanced across at the twins, they looked a little guilty. Hopefully the harpy wouldn’t blame that for her as well.
“And their names are Kasu and Sithon.”
[OOC Reshona has a big red button labeled do not push, Vyne just pushed it o.O]
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'And why would they need to show off if they were allowed the chance to come to terms with their powers?' her voice was raising in pitch. In fairy tales she had been know to shriek but this was far from it.
'And can they not speak their names without your permission, or have you taken over that right too? You Mordacai are dispicable. You get worse by the centuries.'
Vyne fluffed out her wings then looked to the rocks. If she used them to club the Mordacai it would be worse for the mages. What could she do without having the mages getting hurt. It was not their fault they were slaves to Connloathian* scum.
*OOC: Vyne (and Demya) are old enough to remember that far back.
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[OOC Felt like hopping into Kasu's head ^^]
“Reshona, calm down,” Kasu said nervously.
He knew that Reshona was a ticking time bomb once someone started to annoy her. It was like inside her mind was a big red button labelled ‘do not push’ and Vyne had pushed it.
“I didn’t ask to be a Mordecai, you sanctimonious bitch. Being someone who blocks magic on a planet of all mages is not easy. You make it sound like we have a choice when in fact we’re forced to join the military just like the mages are!”
The harpy already seemed peeved with Reshona and was eying the rocks suspiciously. This would not end well…
“Reshona…” Sithon started.
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she exclaimed, “That’s it! I’ve had enough!”
The Mordecai started storming towards the entrance of the cave. Was she actually going to go out there? Okay she really had snapped. They’d broken yet another Mordecai.
Kasu glanced at Sithon who nodded in head in agreement. The twins grabbed Reshona and threw her to the ground. Then Sithon placed his hand over her mouth, using his powers to remove the oxygen from the air her, rendering her unconscious.
“Sorry, Reshona but you was about to do something really stupid,” Kasu said to the now prone woman,
Sithon laughed nervously as the pair looked at the harpy, “That’s comes in handy more than you might think.”
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I didn’t ask to be a Mordecai, you sanctimonious bitch. Being someone who blocks magic on a planet of all mages is not easy. You make it sound like we have a choice when in fact we’re forced to join the military just like the mages are!
'No, but you do have the choice on how to treat them. You have freedom enough to decide who you pair with, freedom over what they do and freedom over what they can say.'
The harpy was known for her loathing of humans. Stupid creatures that tried to control everything. She stood still as the woman went to leave. The woman must be seriously stupid if she thought she could open the rocks up.
That’s comes in handy more than you might think.
Vyne looked back at the two mages. Either they were really brave or she had misjudged this Mordacai. She folded her wings and sat back down next to the fire. 'It's fine. I wasn't going to hurt her,' she said. Her voice was still slightly on the shrill side. 'Would you tell me what you know of this Mordacai?' she asked before throwing another root towards them. It was more a gesture of alliance (friendship did not come naturally to her) than for food. The two didn't seem malnourished.
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Sithon shrugged, “We only know a little bit about her, she’s only been our Mordecai about a year and a half.”
“We know she’s Lanaerian though, from Lanaes and she was exiled because she was a Mordecai. She was going to end up at TRIM but they let Edanith have her. She’s had a few mages but got us because no-one else wanted us.”
The twins knew all the Mordecai hated them, and they were fine with it. Given the choice they wouldn’t be military dogs but being mages meant they had to be. Misbehaving was their form of rebellion and it was their good fortune that they got such a lenient Mordecai.
Kasu continued, “She’s really lenient with us though and the other Mordecai always telling her not to be.”
Sithon chuckled, “She’d let us get away with murder if she thought her superiors wouldn’t punish us for it.”
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Vyne frowned, this was unexpected. She was still not entirely convinced though, 'then why does she not let you use your fire more often?'
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“Well she’d get in trouble,” Kasu replied, “And she’d probably get sent off to TRIM…”
“That and the last Mordecai we had had told her to never let us use our magic unless it was an emergency,” Sithon added before laughing, “We totally destroyed him.”
Sithon’s attitude was probably not helping but there was no changing him.
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Vyne grunted, it was a strange sound: a mix between a human grunt and a whistle. Now that everyone seemed settled she turned from the mages and lifted another rock, which meant there were now four rocks floating around the room. The last rock took a while to stabalise.
'Did you still want to learn how to control your magic yourself or has she stopped you?' asked Vyne. It was a possibility that once the Mordacai had collapsed, the mages could no longer use their magic. It was foolish the lengths humans went to to control one another.
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“That’s a bit of a problem,” Sithon replied, “If Reshona’s unconscious we can’t use our magic.”
That said, the twins prided themselves on being able to find non-magical ways of causing trouble and annoying people. Non-mages had to manage with out magic to prank people so they could too.
Sithon continued, “I am not waking her up, she’ll be furious.”
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'Serves her right if she is. Her and all her kind.'
Vyne moved one of the rocks towards her and began moulding it while it floated. As ugly as Vyne was, she was a good sculpter. 'What do you children like?' she asked. 'I shall make you something each.' The two probably didn't have many possessions of their own, it would be good for them to get something out of the visit than an angry Mordacai.
EDIT: OOC: Would it be okay if Vyne went into Reshona's mind and went looking around/ conversed with her.
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That was a good question, being mages they didn’t really have any hobbies aside from pranking people. As for what they liked…fire?
“I like spaceships,” Sithon said cheerfully.
That was true; every time they went anyway in a ship Sithon always asked drive. He was never allowed to though. Kasu didn’t share this interest however, sure they cool but he just wasn’t as obsessed with them as his twin was.
He preferred natural things, though there weren’t many of them left. Things like animals. Not reptiles though, they reminded him too much of dragons and they were just scary.
“I like animals,” Kasu said shrugging.
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Vyne cocked her head in a very birdlike manner. She could probably keep the rocks up and carve the figures but they wouldn't be good quality. She ended up choosing the smallest floating rock. 'Watch out,' she said before whizzing it over to her. She cracked her fingers and began moulding it with her hands as though it was as soft as wet clay. When it was in the general shape if a ship she put her hands into the ground beneath her and felt around for a different coloured patch of rock. She found one with a different compisition and pulled it up through meters of earth.
'What type would you like?' she asked. She then moulded the new rock into windows and refined the shape. He could go from there on what he wanted. It floated in front of him. 'Any adaptions?'
The little ship had two hulls, similar to the catamarans back several thusand years ago. Behind each hull was a large engine and it had two flight stabilisers each on the outermost edges. The two hulls came in contact with one another at the innermost curve and a thin fin went up to help with balance. After he made recommendations she would refine it further and add details.
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“That is cool!” Sithon exclaimed, “And its fine as it is.”
Kasu laughed at his brother’s excitement though he had to admit the way the harpy had the crafted the rock so skilfully was impressive. They could use their fire to melt rocks to shape but not as carefully and intricately as Vyne had. Too bad their magic was off limits for the time being.
He glanced towards Reshona; she was still unconscious and would probably be out for a while. It was better that way, the harpy didn’t like her and if she kept pushing Reshona the Mordecai might do something stupid again.
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Vyne nodded in appreciation and moved the ship closer to her. She began etching lines into the sides: wired, doors and other things that seemd to be on human contraptions. It then zoomed around and landed on Sithon's head. She then turned to Kasu.
'What animals do you like?' she said to him. 'I need to know what type of earth I should use.'
She out her hands deep into the earth this time and started feeling for different types of rock while she waited for the boy to talk. She found a light ochre, a tan, a maroon, light beige. She even managed to find one tainted with copper so it gave the green shen needed for the eyes. Animals tended to need as many colours as possible.
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“Um…I like wolves, and bears…and tigers. Large animals like that.”
Small animals were nice but he just really liked large animals, one that could kill a normal human easily.
He wasn’t really sure if they’d be allowed to keep their presents but maybe Reshona would look after them.
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With the types of earth she had collected, the tiger would be best: it had more variation in its coat. First she moulded the larger amount of darker rock as the base mould then covered it in lines of lighter rock. Next, she did highlights in the creature's coat and refined the individual tufts of fur so that it looked like it was part way through running. Action sculptures had more depth and life to them.
Last came the copper in the eyes. Vyne had no control over metals but she could mould the earth around the metal. She split the rock open to the copper vein and used other pieces of rock to mould it into shape then imbedded it into the tiger's eye sockets. The effect was that the eyes gleamed in the glow of the fire.
'Be careful with the eyes,' Vyne said as she let the tiger run towards Kisa.
There was one more trick she could show them while they waited. Considerring how they had reacted when they thought she was a psychic, maybe she would not offer. Instead she walked over to the Mordacai's still form and poked it with an outstreched talon on her foot. Her foot remained there for moment, it would be so easy to kill the Mordacai. Finally she moved her foot away and sat down. She checked the rocks then turned back to the children.
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The tiger was really realistic and very cool and the way she had made it run towards him was impressive. The twins both liked their presents but when harpy walked towards Reshona they instantly froze. Making themselves ready to defend her if need be. However Vyne just poked the Mordecai with her talon and sat back down.
“Thanks for these Vyne,” Kasu said, “They’re amazing.”
They were and it would be a pity if they were confiscated. Maybe they could offer to behave for a month for Reshona so she’d keep them safe in her room.
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Vyne bowed her head. Her lips clicked like a beak as she spoke, 'you are most welcome.'
Vyne moved some rocks through the air and placed them in the fire to warm. Hot rocks were good at relieving tension and the Mordacai would need them after the fit she'd had. When Vyne could sense the warmth in them she went over to the Mordacai and watched it lying there.
'While you have some freedom, is there anything you wish to do?' she asked.
OOC: Do you mind if Vyne moves her into a more comfortable resting position then enters her mind?
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[OOC As long as Reshona doesn't die you can do whatever you want with her whilst she's unconscious ^^ It isn't like she can fight back]
“Not really,” Sithon said shrugging, “We can knock Reshona out anytime really.”
Kasu strategically elbowed his twin in the ribs then to shut him up.
“No it’s fine,” he replied.
Whilst it was true they had a method of subduing their Mordecai, they didn’t use it very often because she’d get used to it and they didn’t want to hurt her. They only did it when it was an emergency which it had been. She’d probably wake up soon however and would be pissed. Despite her usually lenient attitude towards them, she would almost certainly be angry and would find some way of punishing them. Her punishments weren’t usually that scary though.
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'I am going to talk to the Mordacai. Do not disturb us, I do not mean to harm her,' she told the children.
Vyne slipped into the Mordacai's outer mind and floated past memories. Mordacai! I am here. she sent through the woman's mind. She was not a strong psychic but she was more practised than her annoying little sister. You have been concussed and I will help you out but first I want to see if you are as good as the boys say.
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Reshona woke up to total darkness, or she thought she woke up.
“Must be some kind of crazy dream…” she thought, “But why am I asleep?”
Then she remembered what the little devils had done. Sure she had gotten angry at the harpy but knocking her out hadn’t been necessary!
Suddenly the harpy’s voice rang out through her mind. It must be a really bad dream.
“You have been concussed and I will help you out but first I want to see if you are as good as the boys say.”
That was certainly odd and now she knew she was dreaming…but the harpy was a psychic…Wait was it going to root around in her brain?
“Are you going to kill me if I’m not?” she asked tentatively.
She hated psychics for this exact reason.
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No. I told the twins I wouldn't harm you, so for now you are safe. Only humans intentionally harm their guests.
Vyne remained on the outside of the Mordacai's mind. I could have easily come in without your knowledge and pulled what I wanted out but that is something only Mordacai enjoy: I ask permission. Show me what you would show me, I will not harm you.
Truthfully, Vyne would have killed the Mordacai if it wasn't for the words Sithon and Kasu. And probably eaten her too. She was passing up good meat and roots were getting harder to find. Perhaps it was time to see her sister once more.
Inside the cave the rocks were wobbling dangerously. While Vyne was focussing on her psychic abilities, her other abilities became unfocussed. Finally they crashed to the earth and smashed.
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[OOC Short >.<]
Okay…She really hated psychics, even if they were being polite and asking. It wasn’t just because the harpy had been insulting her earlier; it was psychics in general she didn’t like. Someone should not being to root around in your head and read your thoughts and memories. Sure she could communicate with the twins to some extent using their psychic link but she didn’t look at their memories, Mordecai just couldn’t do that as far as she was aware.
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You could try not shouting your thoughts at me. Though I agree it is rude to go in without permission, it is hypocritical for a Mordacai to complain. You people destroy mages just because they are different to you, that they have something you don't. Tell me, if you were to capture me, what would happen? That is far worse than me going into your mind.
If you want me to wake you I will. Sithon and Kasu will be worrying about you if I stay any longer. I warn you now though: if you harm them in any way I will eat you.
OOC: I've noticed I used Demya's name by accident a few times. Sorry about the confusion.
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We destroy mages because they are different to us? I have never killed a mage in my life. And you don’t like me because I’m a Mordecai, why is that any different? You’re just stereotyping us.
I would never Kasu & Sithon, they’re my responsibility and as much as they drive me crazy I do like them. They would still be military mages whether they were bonded to me or not…Actually no one else would take them so if they weren’t bonded to me they’d be at TRIM. And isn’t that worse?
-
Yes, you people destroy them. You may not always kill them but you destroy their minds and wills, make them think they are inferior, unhuman. The difference between me hating Mordacai is I've seen what they stemmed from, seen how they became and what they became. So far you are the only one I've met who actually considered their slave to be human.
Why do you think you are still alive? And does not the fact that they would be sent to TRIM to be used as subjects prove the cruelty of the Mordacai?
-
I’m probably still alive because the twins told you not to hurt me. Which is probably why they knocked me out, so you wouldn’t have reason to.
We individual Mordecai are not to blame for the slavery of the mages though. We are people born with unusual abilities as well. If we were to disobey Edanith’s military then we would be sent to TRIM also, or killed. You hate Mordecai yet we’re the same of the mages. The ones who abuse their control over the mages do it because they are essentially powerless themselves when it comes down to it. It isn’t right, I know that but the habits of centuries are difficult to break.
And if you feel so strongly about how mages are treated why are you stuck here in this wasteland tormenting me. Wouldn’t it make more sense to do something about the cruelty?
The harpy thought herself superior. She was up on her high horse sneering at the humans down below. How could she understand when she didn’t experience it? It was like the man who had everything telling the starving how to live.
-
That is mostly true but I am also still unsure what you are like, which is why I am in here in.
I will admit, I did not know that Mordacai were forced. It was suggested to me but I thought humans were at least smart enough to not control what they once worshipped. Your people really are pathetic.
You are Mordacai; you have more power to change it than me. It is not my fight either. I am fed up with humans and all they do. I will have nothing to do with them. All I have to do now is wait until you wipe yourselves out.
But how much longer would that be? She had been here for centuries, millenia perhaps, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps it was time to come out and fight again.
-
The harpy wasn’t going to get it. So why should she even bother trying to explain.
I think I want to wake up now.
Hopefully the snowstorm would have stopped by now. She just wanted to go home and away from this harpy. The harpy had suggested that being a Mordecai she was able to change things, not really. One person could not change the minds of an entire nation.
-
Very well. Hold onto my probe and I will move you with it.
Vyne slowly began to rise through the layers of consciousness while being careful not to touch any of the Mordacai's memories. Finally, she made it out of the woman's mind and woke to the cave. She looked around at the mess the falling rocks had created. She dusted them aside with a brush of her wing.
'Greetings again boys, your master will be awake shortly,' she said. There was no sound of disgust in her voice. Even though the unconcious woman was a mordacai, she did not seem unwantonly cruel. She turned to the Mordacai.
'You can wake now. The wind is still howling but if you are desperate to leave I will help you.'
Whether the Mordacai liked it or not, Vyne would be coming with them.
-
Kasu and Sithon could only wait until the harpy broke from her trance now, hopefully she wasn’t tormenting Reshona. She said she wouldn’t hurt her but mental torment might not fit into the ‘hurting category’.
However she wasn’t gone very long before she finally emerged and even said she would help them get out.
/////
Reshona was woken by the harpy’s voice, not the best thing to wake up to but at least she was awake again. The harpy even offered to help them leave. But this seemed a little suspicious to her. Was she just concerned about the mages or was she going to cause more trouble for them?
She sat up and looked across at her two charges, they were both holding some kind of model, Sithon a spacecraft and Kasu a big cat of some variety.
“Yes, we need to get back to Edanith,” Reshona said.
-
Vyne nodded then looked to the stairwell. A rumbling sound echoed through the cavern and the roof shook. The earth buldged into a shape similar to and oversized umbrella with a plough at the front. The plough would push snow out of their path.
'This will do,' Vyne said. 'Where is your ship?'
Vyne was going to come with them to Edanith or wherever it was they were to report to. It had been a long time since she had had contact with other creatures and she was not looking forward to the prospect of being around so many minds. They would all be clutterring her own thoughts and would make her own thoughts open for others to view. She would have much time to train in these abilities so she would have to block them off all together. She could not even place a link between her and the Mordacai woman in the cavern: it would be dangerous for all four of them and perhaps others if Vyne succeeded in recruiting others.
-
Reshona had to admit she was impressed when the harpy made a crude plough to make a path through the snow. Though crude it looked stable enough and the harpy seemed to know the snowy region well, she did live their after all.
“Our ship’s just down the cliff from where you found us.”
The twins had suggested sliding down, fast but dangerous. Hopefully the harpy had a better plan then the two fire mages.
-
'I can turn this into one large sled.'
And she did. Earth shaped like the bottom of an olden days boat folded from the plough part of the transport. The umbrella stayed the same and was connected by thick rock poles. There was still a lot of open air that would pass through so it would be cold. Hopefully this would appease the twins' sense of adventure.
'Are you ready?' she asked. She flapped up to the sled and perched at the front, that way she would be able to guide the sled. She realised that the others would not be able to hold on well so she created two little benches, much like those in the original types of boats. 'Hold on tight.'
-
Reshona shivered slightly when she saw the sled, it looked stable but the twins’ grins unsettled her. They climbed in eagerly followed by their Mordecai a little shakily.
Now the rock was open Reshona realised just how cold it was and she couldn’t wait to get back to the heated ship and shortly afterwards back to Tynova. She just wanted to get home and have a long hot bath. The twins had been complaining about the cold before maybe being exposed to it again will make them quiet and obedient.
-
'You are shiverring. If you are cold, why not let the boys warm the air?' Vyne suggested. There was not as much ice in her voice as earlier. 'If you are scared though, I will go slowly. Be assured, I have total control of this vessel. I could have this fly if need be.'
The strange boat started moving slowly towards the steep sloap she had found the trio at.
-
“I’m fine,” Reshona replied.
She wasn’t really scared; the twins just had this smile which foretold dark things. It sometimes made her wonder why she put up with them. They hadn’t looked disappointed that they wouldn’t get to use their magic again, they had probably shown off enough for one day.
-
The unusual vessel sped through the snow, easily avoiding hidden rocks. It lifted in the air for a few moments and Vyne let out a birdlike call, similar to the ones her annoying sister always made.
Vyne moulded the seats a bit so that the Edanith humans would be strapped in properly. The Mordacai probably wouldn't like it but it was better than if the woman fell out and died.
-
Vyne seemed to be enjoying herself, the twins did as well. Reshona however was not having fun. The sooner the ride was over the better. She could handle spacecraft but this was a whole lot bumpier. Thankfully her wrist communicator was telling her the ship wasn’t too far away. She pressed a button which would open the ramp and start the engines. That way they could leave almost immediately when they got to the ship.
-
Vyne sped the craft up so they could get leverage for the jump over the cliff. It shot over the edge and became airborn. She kept it speeding along, enjoying the wind just as much as when she was flying. If it scared the Mordacai (who was sending fear in all directions) all the better.
OOC: sorry it's so short. I thought that would be enough for Reshona to react to. :P *evil grin*
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Reshona managed to avoid screaming but in her mind she was thinking, “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! I am going to die.”
The twins were laughing at their mordecai’s discomfort; they were linked to her so they could obviously hear her cursing and statement that she was going to die. She could swear the harpy was doing this on purpose.
Reshona thanked the gods and all that was holy when she saw the ship not far from them. She had never been so glad to see something in her life. It was buried in quite a lot of snow but the active engines were melting it now and any that was left the twins could deal with. Using their magic would be faster so she’d allow them to do it just this once.
-
Vyne stopped the ship in mid air. It floated perfectly stable above the ship. Vyne suspected the Mordacai behind her would be curled up in a ball behind her, from the amount of her the woman was still transmitting.
'If your eyes are closed, there is something you might want to see.'
The storm had settled and everything around was still. The sun that would take half a year to rise (I'm, assuming they're near a pole, right?) could be seen just peaking over the horizon. The world looked so pristine, no trace of humans other than the ship below them.
The warmth of the sun refracted in the world's weak atmosphere and sent colours scattering across the sky and reflecting red and gold across the snow.In Vyne's mind, this was the height of beauty. It would be a shame to leave this place.
'When your people terraform this world, do you think they will abuse it in the same way as the Earth?' Vyne's voice betrayed her sadness and her shame at failing her home world: Earth.
-
Reshona’s eyes had been closed but she opened them when the harpy suggested it. The moment she did she gasped. The sky was dark since it was the wrong time of year for the sun to rise but colours moved across it in a wave like pattern. It was beautiful. Reshona was slightly envious of the harpy, who probably got to see it frequently. Somehow it made the trip worth all the hassle. Since she had left her homeland, Reshona hadn’t seen much natural beauty since she spent most of her time in Tynova. The snow had been nice for a while but soon got tiring. This was a completely new experience.
“When your people terraform this world, do you think they will abuse it the same was as the Earth?”
Reshona turned to the harpy, “Maybe…I don’t know. I won’t live long enough to find out.”
As spiteful and self-righteous as the harpy could be, Reshona had to admit living thousands of years and seeing everything that had happened to the world was probably not pleasant.
-
'Does that mean you have no responsibility to it? There are things that I must do and I cannot do them alone,' she turned to the Mordacai, who was looking at her. 'When you return you will report me. I need no psychic abilities to know that. The Mordacai control even their collegues.' She scowled with hatred at Mordacai.
'I will be coming with you, it is time I got back into the fight.'
Sithon, Kasu. How do you feel about being heroes? Vyne asked through a gentle mind-link.
-
Reshona was surprised when the harpy said she was coming with them. Was she crazy? She’d end up at TRIM!
“Maybe she knows that,” Reshona thought.
The harpy had lived a long time already and endured a lot, perhaps she was prepared for it.
---
Kasu heard the harpy’s words despite them being very quiet. That was probably so Reshona didn’t hear. But if they answered she would hear. Sithon however didn’t care and answered regardless.
”Really? How?”
Kasu sighed and replied to the harpy, “What would we have to do?”
Hopefully it wasn’t something that would get them killed. They appeared to be rebels amongst the mages but he was rather attached to living.
-
This was going to be very hard to get out of this a free harpy. This age was not her own and neither were the weopons they could use. 'I need as much information as possible before we get there and I will not go through your Mordacai's mind to get it,' they needed to trust her and the only way to do that seemed to be to prove she wasn't going to let the Mordacai get harmed. Besides, only humans rifled through people's minds without permission.
Even if she did get captured, the information she could gain from these two could be enough for her to make contact with others willing to fight for freedom.
-
“Information?” Kasu asked, “About what? Edanith military secrets? We’re mages so we don’t know much about it. We’re kept ignorant.”
He could explain the basics of how the mage and mordecai pairings worked but beyond that he didn’t hardly anything. Letting mages have detailed information was dangerous.
-
'I have been away from society for a great time. Anything would be useful.'
Hopefully they would know their way around or know how each rank interacted. Every detail, no matter how small, may be the difference between freedom and capture later on.
The craft slowly lowered onto the ground in front of the ship's entrance before it melted back into the ground. She kept some of the earth close upon her body and around her feathers. She could use these later as projectiles or mould them into a small shield. Aloud she asked, 'how long is it to your base?'
-
What could he tell her? Did she just want to know about Edanith or did she want information on the other nations as well?
It was also a wonder Reshona hadn’t noticed them talking, she did keep glancing towards them though. She probably knew what they were talking about but choosing to remain silent.
“….Edanith’s military relies on the mages and mordecai but there are normal soldiers as well. Any mages that can’t be used are usually sent to TRIM. And there’s a TRIM base in Tynova, Edanith’s capital.”
Reshona then turned to the harpy when she asked a question, “An hour, maybe two.”
[OOC Vyne should be more clear with her questions >.< I really did not know what they should tell her o.O]
-
'Good. What are you going to tell the other,' she let out a scowl, 'Mordacai? They'll find it unlikely that you found anyone here. The climate is harsh. They may even have sent you here to get rid of you.'
For Vyne, that amount of speach was close to a monologue. The only times she had made long speaches was when she gave pep-talks to soldiers attacking human cities, and that had been thousands of years ago.
Vyne contacted the mages again. Her touch was lighter this time, enough so that she could still pay attention and react to what was going on around her. The twins may only just be able to understand her. How are the buildings structured at the military base and at the TRIM centre?
OOC: The idea is that I don't really know, so you don't have to be too speciific if you don't want to. I guess I failed though. We could just skip over it if you want?
-
It was possible they’d been sent there ‘to get rid of them’ as the harpy put it, the Mordecai didn’t like Kasu and Sithon after all. Reshona was on good terms with most of them though so it couldn’t be that, could it?
“I’m going to tell them we found you here,” Reshona replied, “The point of our coming here was to see if there was anything alive around. And stop asking the twins for information. You’ll end up getting them killed.”
Reshona had heard them conversing and chosen to ignore it. But when the harpy was asking for information that could obviously be used in an attack on the base, she had to intervene, before the twins told her something they could be sent to TRIM for, or disciplined at the very least.
She started to ascend the ramp of the ship. It was ready for take off so they could leave as soon as everyone was boarded.
[OOC....Okay so I dodged Vyne's questioning o.O]
-
Fair enough. Vyne didn't want the mages getting in trouble but she would have to find some way of getting information and she didn't like the idea of going through anybody's mind without permission. If they let her go in that would be the same as offering information and they would probably notice if Vyne went rifilling around. This was going to be tricky but she still had two hours to think of a way to get information.
The problem was, if she didn't go, she would still be hunted down. It would be best to go willingly so that nobody would think she was up to anything. If she went along with the charade, maybe TRIM or whoever would trust her enough so that she could gather information for when she did make her move. There wasn't exactly a time span on what she would eventually decide to do and what better way to find out information to assimilate... Perhaps this was one reason why her stupid, good-for-nothing sister had sided with the destructive ape decendants.
'Very well. What is the procedure for bringing in new... specimins?' The thought that someone would use her to be tested was perposterous but that was humans for you.
-
“They’re usually taken to TRIM’s headquarters in Tynova first then they might be sent to the main base depending on what kind of specimen they are or how they cooperate.”
Reshona suspected Vyne would end up at the main base because of her age. Maybe if she managed to live even longer she would survive and escape TRIM someday. All the livings humans would probably be dead by then though.
The Mordecai continued into the ship followed by the two mages and headed into the cockpit. The route was already set so she just pressed the button to close the airlock and let the computer do the rest. She wasn’t much a pilot but she knew the basics and how not to kill everybody on board.
-
'What happens to them if they cooperate, or if they don't?' Vyne asked, she wanted to know her options ahead of time. Which would she prefer to go to? TRIM or the military? The military would probably be better because it would have more say in the governing of Mars.
Vyne crouched down and dug her talons into the floor. They didn't go in so the material must be incredibly strong. She would not be able to get out if she changed her mind about this. She did however have one trick up her sleeve - so to speak. She lifted a small amount of rock from the Martian surface and attached it to the outside of the ship. It would be there for safe keeping until she got to the military base. Once there she would turn it into small pebbles and hide them under her feathers. There wasn't enough to drag the ship so hopefully, it wouldn't be noticed.
-
“If you cooperate you’ll probably be drafted into the military. But if you don’t you’ll end up at Edanith’s TRIM branch. Then if you continue to be uncooperative you’ll probably end up at the main branch.”
It was possibly Edanith might want the harpy as a military mage but Reshona suspected she would end up at TRIM because she was psychic as well.
-
Vyne sat calmly in on the floor, each time the ship tilted she would lean slightly. It was as though the movement meant nothing to her, that she was in tune with the flight of the ship. Sitting still was something she was used to, though normally when she remained still she was controlling a rock or using magic.
-
Kasu was impressed that the harpy could sit so still despite the ship’s movements, he and Sithon had to resort to holding into things since they didn’t want to be strapped into one of the chairs. Sithon especially liked ships and took every opportunity he could to explore them.
His fun was cut short however as they soon reached Tynova. Reshona landed the ship somewhat sharply since she wasn’t the best pilot in the world. Already some mordecai had assembled, Reshona had sent a message to them when they started flying.
This was it for the harpy, become a military mage or be shipped off to TRIM.
[OOC Shall we call that it for this thread? The ending's nice and vague ^^...Even though we know what happens...Meh]