Common Misconceptions (M)

[RedOptics]

It saddened her. At least she got to know her mother by the time she reached 13, but by then she had fallen victim to illness. Keona pondered to herself for a moment before listening to the music of the winds and shifting to move up right next to him.

"You don't have to be alone anymore... I can help you too, as you can help me, would you allow that?" Trailing her eyes over the fire, at the moment she refused to meet his. Ira moved as well and made himself comfy in her lap, "Friends," Keona spoke the word like before, unused and completely foreign to her.

The shutters shook and whistled, but the woman kept herself from shivering at all, simply heating the area up. Was this how mom felt that eventually caught dad? No, that couldn't be it. The thought pushed her away from him and she stood, going to latch the door and windows to get her mind off it.

[Wrathwyrm]

It was a bit of a somber thought, the kinder and more innocent piece of his life being so very far away, with those of his family too far out of reach, but he felt that they'd be proud of him, overcoming a demon (himself) and beating down a demon lord (Revenant) to obtain freedom.  Maybe he'd be able to tell someone of the family some day...  There's no guarantee that they're dead anymore than alive.  Well...if he saw one, then good.  That's all that he could say.  Travis would now turn his attention to Keona, who moved up beside him and dramatically improved his mood.  With a smile, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Keona.  A better person, I do not know."

People varied in the world, and a kinder and more giving person than Keona, he had yet to meet.  People were people, after all, but who had been so open to a stranger as she?  As she got up to go about her business in the room, Travis put his hands to good use and began to skritch the tiger behind the ears and such.  A tiger was hardly like an ordinary cat, but their bodies were similar.  They all had their comforting spots.

[RedOptics]

Ira meowed and pushed up against his hand as he enjoyed the feeling. Keona sighed softly to herself, grabbing a rather burned-looking blanket she had gotten from traders. Wrapping it around herself, she returned to her spot and let off a huff.

She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what more to say to him at this moment. The light from outside faded eventually, indicating that the clouds hovered just above them, and soon the pitter-patter sound of rain began to hail from the heavens.

It easily unsettled her, but Keona didn't move as her eyes became heavy with drowsiness. Even the cat below stretched his mouth wide open for a yawn, shaking his head to sniff up at the two.

[Wrathwyrm]

The day, it seemed, had played itself out.  Keona definitely wasn't going to do much while a rainstorm was going anyway, and it was late as it was.  With that in mind, Travis laid back and glared up at the ceiling, head cradled in his hands as he'd done before.  In a way, his travels thus far had sort of blended together, in that he'd have a fair amount of lying about, letting his mind drift as he gave thought to...nothing in particular.  Tonight was differennt.  The woman he'd met here was good company, and she'd given him food for thought, because...he hadn't really spared that much thought to his parents, only that they might be long gone, for whatever reason.  Now...he had to wonder about that, just as Keona wondered about her father.  That man...  He could be an arcane sorcerer of an ilk greater than any magic user, or...no.  There was no proof of inhumanity.  Keona may've been different from the people, but she was all-human.  As he began to drift off, he hoped that...this guy wasn't like the hooded men from his past.

[RedOptics]

Indeed she felt strange about this, no doubt about it, and the fact she was finally going to pursue the magical force only let her anxiety levels peak. Looking back at Travis, there was a sense of calmness knowing he was here. Quiety, she got up and whisked out of the room into the next. It was more canopy than the main area, but still heavily shielded from the wind and rain. Ira followed her, bounding up to her side as she sat down and began to pet him.

"Oh Ira, thus is all so messed up... I don't know what to think anymore. I feel like I'm only using him for protection but," Keona sighed, looking down, "If I do that, I'm no better than my father..." She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. It was cold here, but she didn't care.

Meowing up at her from her leg, the cat stared up with intent eyes as if trying to bore them into her soul. Go with him. They seemed to say. Keo paused, looking at him for another moment before smiling softly to herself. "Maybe you just want food."

[Wrathwyrm]

The two of them might catch a low growl from the main room that sounded perhaps as though a fully-grown tiger was in the room.  However, it would turn out to just be Travis, in his sleep.  What may be bothering him, you might ask?  How about a different dream?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the sacrificial altar.

The room is dark, but spaceous.  There are candles lit near the altar and there is a slight unearthly glow about the room, either by moonlight or something else.  The men in the hoods are all in red-and-brown robes, wearing cloth masks painted in blood.  Only their hands and maybe their eyes can be seen.  The words they are chanting are indecipherable to anyone who just speaks Common, and they don't confirm to most other languages either.  Travis' perspective is from the altar itself, of course, watching a knife get plunged into his chest and getting torn open at the apex of their ritual.

The dream is different from reality in that he has immediately gone demon on them.

Black hands of demonic alloy and shadowy energy reach out and crush the high priest's head beneath the mask. followed by snapping the body in half and tossing it across the room.  The other men are in a panic, but - weirdly - still chanting as he chases them about, one by one, and tears through their bodies.  Now, he'll see the ones who these people are.  He tears off the masks, one after the other, but...they're all the same man!  Pale, white-haired, and scarred.  Travis growled in irritation.  This wasn't right.  This was a fantasy.  He-

"Now, wait a minute..."

THIS was interesting...  He knew he was only dreaming now, but they all had something specific about their hands, something that was definitely familiar and real in his memory: All of their palms  were bloody open wounds.  These people were definitely...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...blood mages.  So, that's how it is, then.  He couldn't suddenly be given all the answers, because that was just ridiculous, but the clue fit.  He WAS sacrificed for something important to them, and they were scarred and bleeding from the palms.  They were engaged in blood magic.  And on that note, what will our demon-boy awaken to this time?

[RedOptics]

Even though sleep hissed and scratched at her eyes, Keona could not fall asleep, not for the longest time. She found herself roaming around for a moment as thunder rumbled and cracked outside. At some point it was loud enough to assume it hit some of the trees just outside. She jumped and sat down, looking down at Travis who seemed otherwise engaged in a dream. Were they really that intense?

She looked over his face for a moment, hovering a warm hand just over his good eye, as if cautious about touching him. There was a throated sigh before she retreated back. This time she layed ddown on her side, facing him before hesitating to close her eyes.

This fiery dream was different. It wasn't just dancing flames this time, no, instead the flames created images. Images of her and... who was that? It wasn't clear, maybe it's just her deepest desires.

[Wrathwyrm]

This time, Travis had awakened first.

The rain had gone on for hours and hours, but now it was down to a mild drizzle that would soon be non-existent.  It was a strong one, that much is for sure.  Travis had awakened silently, his eye simply opening all of a sudden and finding Keona lying down there.  He stood up and had looked at the rain through the smaller gap in the window hatch.

He wasn't looking at it.  He was looking through it.

He knew where to find the answers.  He remembered hearing from someone in Essyrn that there was a people who practiced in blood magic, some guy in a shop...  He'd said that to him in passing conversation while trying to make a sale.  Travis hadn't paid it any mind, but now...  All he had to do was find the place where it was used and then maybe there'd be a few loose ends to tie.

[RedOptics]

Mumbling in her sleep, Keona turned over, breathing softly and in interchanging patterns. The sun was still clouded over, and didn't shine through any open slits in the windows, but light was indeed present. She moaned to herself before lying on her back, blinking open her eyes to see nothing but blurry shapes and faded colour until they finally focused. Turning onto her stumach and dragging herself upwards, she rubbed her eyes with a puzzled expression.

"Wierd..." She said to herself. Ira was already out hunting at this point, and Keona didn't seem to notice or worry much. Soon she stretched and got up, fixing her hair before looking around. Noticing Travis, the woman would be even more puzzled. Walking up to him quietly, she put a gentle hand to his arm, "Are you alright Travis? You seem lost..."

Her observant skills weren't the best in the dark, but she could sense a sort of uneasiness to him that concerned her. Perhaps it was just the dream he had?

[Wrathwyrm]

Travis was not aware of anything going on in the room until he felt a hand.  Up until then, he was in his own thoughts.  Then, his head turned and looked at Keona, as though surprised that she were standing there.  Maybe he was, though he couldn't think of any reason why that would be.  He lost track of time, perhaps.  Yes, that was very likely.

"I don't usually dream anything special, since I sort of let life happen and not let things bother me.  But...I guess last night I was thinking and...I think I know what sort of people took me that night.  Nobody specific, just that I know the magic they were using.  Namely, it was blood magic."

There was about as much chance of as there was against Keona knowing what he was talking about.  Even still, it was something for him to look in on about.

"I hope you rested well.  It looks like the rain's finally stopped."

[RedOptics]

Blood magic? That wasn't very welcome here, and she had hear snippets of what it could do. The name was scary enough as is. Could someone be sending him messages through sleep? No, what kind of person holds that magic anyways?

Her grip tightened and she looked down, "Don't worry, we can look for the ones who took you as well... my father can come later." She pushed the hatch open and stuck a stick in the corner to hold it. The clouds had begun to clear, and just above the horizon was the sun with bright pinks and blues all around. Keona stared at it for a moment longer before slowly tearing herself away from him to open the others, then put out the fire.

Preparing a bag of bananas and apples and oranges, she secured it over her shoulder and petting Ira who came in with a triumphant look, holding a dead bird in his jaw. "I'll see you tomorrow when I return, don't knock anything over." Just in case, she made sure all sources of heat were cold and that food was tucked away from the bats and rodents.

"I'm island hopping today. If you wish to join me then I'll be heading North-east, the neighboring island." She opened the door and waited a moment before opening her strange wings and fluttering out from the canopy.

[Wrathwyrm]

"There's no rush, on my account."

He didn't even know if he even aged properly anymore.  Chances are, the answer was no, but even still...a little extra time on his end of things wasn't going to make that much a difference, was it?  He felt it wasn't right to let Keona's half of things go to wait as much.  Her issues felt more in the present, the here and now.  Now, it seemed as though Keona was preparing to go somewhere, but where?  Than, she said, and...what?

"Wait, you mean there's a whole 'nother island?"

Remember, Travis knew very little about Yoreiqi, and he'd arrived while half-asleep.  Ergo, he had no idea that it was a series of smallish islands, not just one singular landmass.  He quickly stepped outside to wingbeat his way into the open air and sail his way over the direction she was going.  He had to see this for himself.

[RedOptics]

She kept her mouth shut, just smiling. The feathers on the corners of her wings were lit aflame, using the warmth it provided as an updraft to keep her gliding. The breeze would be enjoyable if it weren't for her delicate temperature, but she was sure to keep herself from falling out of the sky because of it. The air held moisture from the storm, and on the leaved that passed below her.

Soon arrived the edge of the forest, then the beach, and then came the blue ocean which caused her to heighten her altitude. Keona knew a place that held something special. It wasn't jewels or silks, it was... odd. Looking back at Travis, she smiled to herself and continued her way forward to watch the dim island grow in both size and colour.

Smaller islands led to larger ones, until the main island approached at last. It doesn't take long to island hop, that is, if your mind is busy with other things.

[Wrathwyrm]

Along the trip, over the jungle and eventually the beach, Travis was largely supported by the flying power of his wings.  He had the same updraft working for him, but he liked to play around a bit, swooping down and sailing up higher.  Otherwise, he was gliding on by, only the occasional flap or lean of his weight to guide him around, adjusting his course as need-by.

So!  There were actually several islands, were there?  How did he ever miss that?  Oh wait, asleep at the helm, of course.  Well, no matter.  He could see them now, and Keona appeared to be giving the smaller ones a miss as she headed for another big one.  Well, she was the one who knew her way around this place.  May as well see where it all goes.  Was she off to trade with another village, maybe?

[RedOptics]

Keona continued to fly, but didn't go further than the island, and instead circled a section for a few minutes.

Aiming her sights down at a certain area, she took a sudden and sharp turn, tucking in her wings and diving down at an angle. Closer and closer the ground came, but she didn't do anything until sher burst her wings open to break her fall. Kicking up sand, she landed nearly a foot in the ground before brushing herself off.

"Now... where was it again?" She murmured to herself. This section of the island was burned, clearly having been struck by lightning as it was a flat, stone plateau. Any small tree was nothing but charcoal and ash at this point, no matter how hard the rain tried to put it out.

The smell of burning materials was a remedy for her, and she took it all in before seriously searching for something on the surface of every flat stone.

[Wrathwyrm]

Rather than circle as she had, Travis came to a halt and began to wingbeat in place, basically hovering in place.  He had the strength to keep up his position like this, unlike other flight-capable beings.  He did so because, after following Keona here...she seemed to be a might bit lost, at least until she began to arc her way down.  This place had been blasted, probably by nature if nothing else.  There was no one else here that he could see.  Travis gradually flapped his way down as Keona appeared to be scrutinizing a bunch of rocks.

"What're you looking for?"

[RedOptics]

"Something..." Simply put, Keona paused for a moment, crouched in the middle of a stone and looking around. What she was looking for was an item she was saving, an item made of gold and bone from a sea serpent. It was a prized possession, but she also did want to show Travis more than just her island.

"Can you see anything glinting in the sun?" The item would be easy to spot if it wasn't for the water. Flapping over to another section, she got on all fours to looking into the small canyons and channels that ran through the area.

Maybe someone had found it before she did? It had been a while since she hid it here, maybe even the water dragged it away.

[Wrathwyrm]

She didn't say what it was, which didn't exactly help, but she DID mention that it would glint in the sun.  Okay, so it was maybe something shiny?  That might be something of an issue, with all this water, being all reflective and stuff.  Nevertheless, Travis shrugged and said...

"I'll keep an eye out for it."

He began to look around, either wingbeat-jumping or full-on flying to different spots.  He was specifcially going where Keona wasn't looking, so they'd cover more ground quicker.  If he saw anything, he'd let her know.  Of course, without knowing what it was, he might see alot of things.

[RedOptics]

These lands would be picked clean if your stuff wasn't hidden correctly, so there would have been a chance hers would be the only one seen. No one usually came here after a storm, partly because it was so-

"Ow!" ...slippery. Keona had fallen on her behind, sitting on her knees to rub the new bruise. She growled, getting up and carefully stepping closer to another chasm. Down below, a branch stuck out from the side, and she sword she could see something.

Skillfully and carefully like a monkey, she would climb down and hang there to grab it before coming back up. So the storm had washed it down, as least it caught onto something.

"Got it!" She called up, crouching to inspect it.

[Wrathwyrm]

During this time, Travis had found exactly no shiny things at all.  What he did find was a whole lot of rocks, wood, dirt, surviving plants, aaand that's largely about it.  It was only after a while that he heard Keona speak up from...where was she? He turned to look around, then leapt up and started flapping to get up high until finally he spotted her and swooped on down.

"Okay, I'll bite.  What the heck is it?"

It WAS a shiny thing, but even looking at it in her hands, he didn't have a fucking clue.