Go Forth and Learn

[Lion]

Akash shook his head, perhaps a little violently.  He frowned deeply and showed his hand again with a new message: "On the island, where did you come from?"

[DragonSong]

"Oh." Emrys flushed, realizing he probably should have inferred that question. "Ah, northwest a bit. Up in the mountains. Not sure exactly what the place is called.

[Lion]

Akask just smiled.  "We go to temple.  You come too," he wrote.  Scribbling the following: "Stay. Tomorrow we go to mountains."

[DragonSong]

"Ah- alright." He nodded slowly. "That's...awfully kind of you."

[Lion]

It was settled then. Akash led the way to the Temple entrance, and bowed upon entry.  The other guards recognized him and allowed him through with his guest in tow.  He didn't need to speak, they knew he couldn't, and there was an air of respect that followed him.

Akash led Emrys up toward the guard section, across the courtyard and down toward the training ground.  He kept his pace slow, not wanting the youth to wander off.  The beach was bad enough. And he soon showed him to a room with a bed roll in the corner, and a bucket in the other.  A few plants surrounded small pedestals just beside a sand garden in one half of the room.  It was raked and carved with pleasing circular shapes.

Akash bowed and wrote on his hand.  "Sleep well."

[DragonSong]

Emrys trailed along with curiosity lighting his eyes, though he had the sense to keep pace with Akash. Once led to the room, he frowned slightly and tilted his head. "Um, thanks."

It seemed the man was known here. He was starting to wondering exactly who he was, outside of what he'd been told.

[Lion]

"If you need anything, ask," Akash said in writing on his hand, bowing his head.  He smiled at the foreigner and Rewrote, by now his palm dirty from al the scrawlings, "Sleep well."

[DragonSong]

"Right. Thanks. You too." He smiled and nodded a bit. "I'll, uh, see you in the morning?"

[Lion]

The night would pass by without event. And Akash was grateful for it. The last thing he needed was questions from his superior asking about the foreigner and worrying about his presence here.  There'd be plenty of time for that later as far as he was concerned. 

Akash retired to his quarters, and meditating for an hour before he finally went to sleep.  In the morning they woudl continue to where Emrys came from.

[DragonSong]

Emrys had always had strange dreams, but the trouble was he could almost never remember them. He tossed and turned most of the night, unable to really sleep because something kept waking him up.

[Lion]

It would be unknown what that something was. It was imperceptible, and watched him in its tentacled shape. Smoke billowed off its form as it lingered over Emrys, hovering over him.  Watching him with a multitude of red eyes.

[DragonSong]

Emrys rolled over and blinked his eyes open.

And bolted upright, screaming.

[Lion]

The tentacled shape reached down and grasped Emrys' arms, throwing itself into his mouth in an attempted possession.

[DragonSong]

The scream choked off and for a moment he flailed, panicking and terrified.

Then instinct kicked in. Without incantation or gesture, purely through force of will, he thrust out with his magic, attempting to cast the creature away from him.

[Lion]

The spectre shrieked and pulled back, lunging up and out through the window until it vanished.

There was no trace of it's passing and when the door to the room burst open with a guard standing in the door way, he did not see anyone.  He held his own weapon firmly in hand.  "What happened in here?" he asked sharply, raising the lantern he held in the other.

[DragonSong]

Gasping, Emrys doubled over and shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "Th-there was- I don't- some sort of creature-"

[Lion]

A message was sent to alert Akash of the disturbance and within a few minutes the man appeared in the door way.  The other guard had gone inside looking for any sign of entry and then looked to Emrys.

"What did this creature look like?" he asked.

[DragonSong]

Shock was setting in and Emrys shook his head as he tried to find his voice. "A- a shadow. Sort of- it had tendrils, almost..."

[Lion]

"Xi-sha.  Spirit," the guard murmured, feeling shaken but at the same time not wanting to alarm the foreigner.  Akash stepped in beside them and said in Thanati for the guard to alert the nearest monk.

Akash gestured to Emrys to follow them as they moved down the hall.

[DragonSong]

"Wh-what the hell was that thing?" Emrys hissed at Akash as he stumbled after him. He was shaking- powerful mage he may be, but Emrys would be the first person to admit that he was a first class coward.