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Clarity
Aug 1, 2007 15:15:42 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 1, 2007 15:15:42 GMT -5
Still none the wiser, and thoroughly panic stricken by the sudden leaping corpse that the stranger had with reactions far faster than her own shot a whole round into, Helen started to follow the man almost blindly, head reeling the information through. She didn't even know his name and now he was to be her mast...mast, Helen could barely even think the word without a faint shudder. The name or status seemed to tie in a lot of things Helen had left behind a long time ago and were hard to accept again, but with reluctance she understood that this man was the only man who could help her now. She would never be able to get away from this ruined place alive with all the dangers death now posed upon her. At the second mention of the blood that covered her clothes Helen felt the heavy lead weight of guilt drop as she looked down at herself, "It's not..." She sighed, opening the door to the passenger seat of the car. Helen shook her head with an almost angry expression on her face as she pushed her hard exterior to the front once more. "So, master, can I at least know your name before I commit myself to a life of danger?"
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Post by astos on Aug 2, 2007 2:43:18 GMT -5
"I am James Astos Cain, and formalities are not required. I am only to be presented as your master, not treated as such. In training and combat I will be your master, but when moving around and in relaxed states, I am merely a travel companion. You will do nothing dangerous for the next week, and if you did I would probably have to kill you on the spot, considering that dangerous in this line of work is catastrophic. You will learn Necrology, and you will learn the basics in my former place of residence, Nevynheim. This is a sublte science and difficult artform, and failure to accel will have minimal tolerance. If you, during any of this, use the words 'Magic' 'Necromancy' or 'Voodoo' I will stab you so many times that what is left will be vaguely recognizable. My master treated me the same, so expect no less." James removed the bone white blade from his coat and handed it to the girl. "That is luxbane. If you drop it you will die, if you stab it into something that was never alive, you will die, and if you insult it, you will die. It contained the soul of my master, and is an essential tool in this line of work." The sound of sirens howled from the road and James turned the car over, hit the gas and sped down the road into the night.
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Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 2, 2007 6:29:38 GMT -5
Well at least she knew she wasn't getting any special treatment. Helen opened her mouth to protest but shut it soon after, deciding for one of the few times to think very carefully before she spoke her blunt mind. With all the rules she had been given it seemed to her that she would easily end up death or brutally attacked, and fear seemed to grip her heart tightly with icy black fingers. Why was she even doing this, it'd all been because of her stupid father! Her muddy fingers held the blade firmly and with both hands, afraid that a jolt from the car would send it spinning from her fingers resulting in her eventual death, according to James. Her eyes looked closely at the blade before a question popped into Helen's head. "But...didn't you stab one of the dead with this blade?" She asked quietly, eyes flicking over to look at James. As a quiet afterthought Helen was grateful that James had at least told her these things beforehand and she silently rested her head on her hand, elbow pressing against the window as she watched the police cars in the distance, her other hand still firmly clutching the hilt of luxbane. To think that before today she was a simple thief on the search for wealth with out a care for death and consequences, in a few short hours her morals and ideas of the world had been completely changed, and it sounded like this was only the beginning of it all.
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 12:04:34 GMT -5
Post by astos on Aug 2, 2007 12:04:34 GMT -5
"If you want a short answer to all of this; yes, I stabbed it. It was evil, and exists because of evil. That blade absorbs darkness, which is a strong catalyst for evil. The darkness in anything has the potential to strengthen the good or evil in one's soul, and normally the amount of darkness in someone is equal to the light, which is a persons thought and knowledge. When light is removed, darkness grows, and the light is no more. This is a laymans way of explaining why they don't think and just kill and maim. I can give you the long, proper answer, which would be good considering the car ride's length." James always looked forward, not letting go of his cool look and father-like tone, as if the universes secrets meant nothing to him for he knew them all. "That blade removes the force that works to remove the light from the soul, and by doing so removes the darkness and the light, fusing them to the blade. That blade cannot kill anyone, but only lets them die." Quickly, James grabbed the blade from the girl and jammed it into her heart and pulled it free. At first she was in shock, mostly from the pain, but slowly she revived and the wound vanished, leaving a small slit in her shirt. She looked furious and at the same time, relieved, and if something inside her was let go. "That, was both for a brief example to show you your punishment for failure is not deadly, and for not introducing yourself within knowing me for half an hour. Always be polite, even if talking to satan himself. Some spirits take offense to even polite gestures, and making mistakes are far worse than recieving punishment for them."
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 13:31:32 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 2, 2007 13:31:32 GMT -5
“I-I’m sorry” Helen said, her hand still covering the healed wound. “My name is Helen.” She said, frowning slightly at the man. The hurting was so intense as the blade had sliced through her flesh, and even after the feeling of strange release her mind could still imagine the pain. Not only that but he had moved so quickly, and once again James had caught her by surprise, this annoyed her greatly. Helen took pride in her quick reactions as they had saved her life on many occasions and yet this man who looked many years older than herself had attacked her twice in the space of less than an hour, with that… irritatingly calm and relaxed composure. After a few moments of composing herself once more, she spoke again “So, why didn’t the blade…well, let me die? If as you say it drains both the light and darkness, how am I still alive?” Her eyes were cautiously eyeing the blade in James’ hand like it was some form of dangerous predator. “And how long will the journey be?” Out of the window Helen couldn’t see much apart from the black outlines of random trees and bushes against the dark blue sky. Not many stars were visible as the thick grey clouds drifted lazily across the cold night and light from distant houses and streets refracted in the atmosphere. She had no idea of where they were; this whole area was unknown to her limited knowledge of the world. Helen had many more unanswered questions cluttering the gray expanse of her mind, but for now she patiently waited for James’ responses, now knowing better than to be rude to the man.
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 16:37:02 GMT -5
Post by astos on Aug 2, 2007 16:37:02 GMT -5
James almost smiled "That's good, you're using your head. That weird relieving sensation you felt? That was some of the darkness leaving you. The less darkness in you, the clearer you can think. If I had left that blade inside your chest for a minute, you would be a husk. Not quite dead, but just unable to think or feel. A waking coma of sorts. Helen, this trip will take a while, but don't worry, we will arrive by tomorrow at dawn, when it's safest." James let a pleased look come across his face, which once again, did not suit him or help to make him look like a good person. "While we travel, I will teach you the three prinicples of necrology; Listening, seeing, and feeling."
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 17:16:31 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 2, 2007 17:16:31 GMT -5
"Tomorrow at dawn?" Helen was shocked; it was dark but not that late. Then again her trip to the hospital hadn't been a short one, it had consisted of many rides hiding in the back of vehicles, she even at one point was forced to steal a motorbike. The bike was still probably leaning against the wall down the back-alley near the now ruined hospital. "And from that waking coma-like state...could anyone be brought back?" Helen asked a hint of fear in her voice. The almost happy expression that crossed James' face really didn't suit the man, what with his aged face and firm attitude, but Helen politely smiled in return. It was strange to her, manners had be drilled into her as a child, which then caused her to become very rebellious and she hadn't been polite to someone since she was around 10, the feeling was bizarrely nostalgic. Her thoughts then turned to the last three things James had said “Listening, seeing and feeling? “She asked, frowning at the man.
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 21:40:33 GMT -5
Post by astos on Aug 2, 2007 21:40:33 GMT -5
His face became short and grim. "No, and if you tired then you would go to hell." James grasped the steering wheel firm and sped up slightly. "We will take this slowly, so only concern yourself with listening for now. When you are alone at night, and outside with no one around, if that has ever been an occurence for you, have you heard voices? and did you ever follow them? They usually aren't strong and are rarely heard by untalented people, but its not uncommon for few unfortunate individuals to be lead astray by wicked spirits. The best part of this skill is the ability to learn, and that is why we go to Nevynheim. The first skill of the trade is open communication with spirits that refuse to pass on to the next life. They are not, as people say, misguided or unwanted souls who look to redeem themselves or help those who are still living, with rare exception, but souls that cling to knowledge and live to either see the end of the world or study tbhe living as if we were some horrid experiment gone wrong. They are wise, smart, and above all, vile, tricky things that desrve no more respect than an ant, but if you do not show the same respect you would give a king, they will ignore you, or worse, torment you until you do." James pulled a small, grey bone from his jacket. "You have the gift, I can tell from the amount of darkness I was acutally able to pull from you. In time, you will learn to resist forces that desire your soul, dodge death, and even become a master of it, until it grows tired of you and takes back the knowledge. Practice until we get there, and if you fall asleep I will stab you again." James smirked again and seemed to say something to himself as they jetted down the highway. The car sped up more and more, and then they were clearly breaking the speed limit. "Don't lose focus, just practice." James eyes glazed over and seemed to be in a trance like state, but was still steering the car. White smoke escaped his mouth and the air became beyond freezing
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Clarity
Aug 2, 2007 22:11:52 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 2, 2007 22:11:52 GMT -5
His questions seemed to shock Helen as she had at times heard voices, although had ignored them as best she could on the dark nights she spent in litter filled alleyways. Those thoughts she had always pushed out of her head, saying it was simply her imagination carrying her mind away and thinking that someone was talking to her in the darkness. And then there came the idea that she had a gift, Helen had tried to protest, opening her mouth to say the only gift she had was in stealing change from peoples pockets, but James didn't seem to be finished and carried on talking as he drove down the deserted road. Helen grew afraid now, unsure of what she should do exactly and worried about James, whose eyes were glazing over as he drove the car at a dangerous speed. She became even more fearful as the white smoke came from his mouth and to her senses it was as if she had been placed in a freezer. Helen shivered violently, pulling her trench coat close around her body as she fought to stay warm. The man didn’t seem to notice or make any kind of movement at all, so she turned, facing forward his her hands between her knees to keep warm, body hunched forward, head turned up to look at the road in front. Her mind was still unsure of what exactly James wanted her to do, but with the encouraging thoughts of the dagger being stabbed into her chest once more Helen tried to do what seemed natural and began to relax herself, despite her body’s shivers against the cold and shut herself off so until it was only her consciousness. She began trying to focus herself, which was proving to be very difficult, reaching through her mind like she had often tried to on her cold nights alone. Her stomach began to feel queasy and her feet along with the other extremities of her body that had little blood-flow were staring to turn numb from the cold, body hunching over in her seat even more.
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Post by astos on Aug 3, 2007 4:07:09 GMT -5
A sound resounded in Helen's ear. "Do not panic. This is James. I went to take care of some personal business before we arrive. The driver is someone I know, just wanted a body to use for an hour or so. Possession is nine tenths of life, but that last tenth is it actually being your body, hence why you cant keep people in other people's bodies. He will drive for a few hours. Listen to the bone, and DO NOT TALK TO THE DRIVER." The sound faded and the car warmed slightly, but the air was still cold. Helen was left to worry for herself and only do what she could at the time. The driver spat out curses for a while and occasionally made passes at helen, which from James looked quite comical, but also horrific with his grey eyes and drunken smile. "I died sober, so this ain't no problem, dirving. You ever drive before? Its the only way to go!"
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Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 3, 2007 9:18:40 GMT -5
Helen looked at the man who was now driving the car, eyes scanning his face with it's dead looking eyes and strange, unnerving smile, calming herself to stop the urge of attacking the possessed body in a panic-stricken frenzy and leaping out of the car. She shuddered, remembering well that James had told her not to talk to the man ignoring the man's tries to start a conversation and crude remarks. Helen straightened her self up so that her back was pressed against the chair; eyes kept forward looking at the road as it sped beneath the speeding metal framework of the car. Her body wasn't shivering as much anymore, and the feeling started to come painfully back to her feet and hands as the warm blood coursed through them, slowly Helen began stretching and flexing her fingers to speed up the process, anything to keep her mind occupied away from the possessed body that sat next to her.
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Clarity
Aug 3, 2007 11:49:42 GMT -5
Post by astos on Aug 3, 2007 11:49:42 GMT -5
As warmth returned to Helen's body, whispers came from nowhere, but it wasn't just nowhere, it was the bone. They were quite incoherent, but they sound frantic, as if the person who was whispering was going to scream out and run in a circle until they collapsed. The sound kept steady volume and it did not change, just incoherent sound. Other voices became audible, saying clearer things. Some complained about traffic and how no one can avoid a semi going one hundred and tem miles per hour. Someone kept saying they wouldn't run away from home again and cried for their father, and another cursed people, saying they don't desrve to drive around in these d**nable things, that they should walk and suffer the pain of hardened skin from walking barefoot. More and more conversations flooded in, massing in volume and frequency. Louder and louder, assailing her eardrums like carpet-bombing a small area several times. Suddenly, it stopped, and the air was warm. "You are talented" James looked at her, and the car had stopped. THe sun was before them, and an empty and eerie town lie before them.
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Clarity
Aug 3, 2007 13:39:17 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 3, 2007 13:39:17 GMT -5
Helen opened her eyes and blinked a few times, turning away from the sun as it's glare fell on her face through the windscreen. Her head was dazed and dizzy from listening to all the voices, their words still spinning through her memory as she tried to shake the numb feeling from her stiff muscles. Helen turned to look at James, eyes still squinting in the bright light of the sun "What...what happened? Where are we?" Her body felt like it had been asleep for a week and her mouth was dry, so her words were faint and rasping as she tried to find her voice. Her head turned to look at the town, hand shielding the sun from her eyes. The houses seemed to turn and spin in front of her eyes as her head suddenly became very light, a broad giddy smile crossed her face. Then for a moment her body seemed frozen in place, looking out of the window like some kind of explorer surveying the landscape she was to traverse and then with little sound her body tilted slowly and slumped heavily to the right, arms as limp as the rest of her exhausted body.
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Post by astos on Aug 4, 2007 3:25:55 GMT -5
"You went into a trance, both a sign of power and weakness. Not a problem, but a bridge we muset cross tonight. Welnome to Nevynheim. This is the best place I could think of to start you off because most of the people, er, spirits know me and you clearly need something lighter on the mind. The spacing of the houses gives you isolated area to listen, considering your talent. I'm almost dissapointed that you weren't quite like I was when I started." James got out of the car and walked down the road a bit, motioning for Helen to follow. "Before we begin, this whole town is dead, and a doll did it. That doll killed my father and the whole village. It was the reason I even knew what this all was, and where I should go in my life. I am giving you the option of stepping down. You look like an impressionable youth, and want an opportunity to make yourself important, but this is something you have to be born with, and with luck you barely are, so I caution you to think about it. If you decide to not learn, this will all be some bad dream or drunken episode, and, after a fashion, you will forget all of it. If you do come with me into this town, I can show you the beginning of time, the ends of hell and the road to heaven, and just how close the three are to each other. I could even show you how to stay youthful for as long as your body can take it. So, are you in or out? Living or dead?"
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Clarity
Aug 4, 2007 14:56:30 GMT -5
Post by mutilateddragon on Aug 4, 2007 14:56:30 GMT -5
Helen had clambered quickly out of the car after James, listening intently to his words. At the mention of his father being killed by a doll she frowned, it seemed strange how easy it was for him to say it, almost as if it was no longer any pain to him that his own father had died at the hands of the very things he lives and dedicates his life on. The question surprised Helen, all the way through she felt like she was simply being dragged along, sticking along with James to avoid the police and the slaves. Now was time to truly decide whether this was to be her life, or return to her life in her small, cluttered flat thieving, drinking and taking less than legal jobs to survive. The points seemed to point to going with James, but the thought of facing the dead…
Helen stood for a while, simply looking at the town, thinking about her choices carefully. Finally she turned her head to look at James. “I may not enjoy this too much, but I doubt I could forget anything like this. Better to not to regret…I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself in for, I’m not the easiest to teach. And, I think I should say, well, thank you.”
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