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Two For You, and One For Me. (Blink, or if invited)

Started by Wrathwyrm, March 22, 2017, 05:13:35 PM

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Wrathwyrm

Her answer seemed...perhaps...to make her a little uneasy.  She explained that she was nnot guarding or patrolling the town, but also stated that she could not talk about what it is she DID do.  It wasn't a dodge.  The sound of her voice, the look in her eyes, and the way she phrased it told him that she was being honest with her.  Clearly, he'd stumbled upon something here, and she didn't want attention drawn to it.  This was weirdly similar to his conversation with Allaeya, yet it was more of her requesting that her cnfidentiality in matters be kept, for either her sake or his sake...or both.  Nashya had been worried that he would want to pry, but in this case...he felt the tone of someone operating under people's watchful eye and needing to remain there to a purpose.  Therefore...

"I understand, and I know how you feel, so we'll leave it at that."

The small weight of the metal embedded in his mantle - set on the inside - was settled on the small of his back.  It was a small oval plate bearing the symbol of an assassin, known to all as the Ebon Knife.  Said symbol had always been that of an eye-mask, like one would find in perhaps a masquerade.  Nobody yet had associated it with the woman who had taken him from from Connlaoth and mentored him, a ferret Beastkin whose face had a natural design of such right there.  Sano's injured friend was that very assassin, and the reason he was after the vampire.  He was effectively an assassin himself, yet he moved more like a knight.  Hiding in plain sight?  Perhaps.  It was a good place to hide.  And perhaps the lady of the Golden Gear would appreciate his position, should she find out.  At any rate, she asked if he had any other plans today and Sano had to think on that.  If the woman before him was about to suggest something as an alternative to anything he may have in line, he might be inclined to join her.  As it was...

"I don't have anything planned right now, no.  This is...more the improvised part.  The most I can say for sure is that I'll need a room at the inn, perhaps some food, as I have been traveling quite a while."

Blink

Nashya listened as Sano stated he had nothing planned. "Well as for this small village you wont find many inns... I think the one they actually have.." she paused to take a step closer towards him, lowering her voice to hardly a whisper as she continued. "... has a bit of an infestation." Nashya then stepped back, her eyes looking around to see if anyone had heard what she had said. She didn't want to insult the hard working farmers of this small village, but her statement was nothing but facts.

"About an hours walk that way..." she pointed at the opposite direction Sano had arrived from ".. there is a larger settlement with many more options deeper into Shadowmire. It is where all the government buildings are." Placing a hand on the strap of her bag still flung over her shoulder she adjusted it a bit, shifting the weight of it so the strap wasn't digging into her shoulder so much. "That is actually where I live... or stay. I don't really have my 'own' place." She giggled at how silly she must sound. "I was actually waiting for the storm to pass before heading back. If you would like to walk with me you are more than welcome to."

Nashya had forgotten how nice it was to actually talk with someone without a reason. As of late all she ever conversed about were plans or information. This was a nice change of pace and reminded her of the girl she used to be. "It would be nice to have some company other than my own thoughts." She smiled again, but deep down there was more than she was letting on in that statement. "If only he knew..."

Wrathwyrm

Well, he was willing to deal with a one-and-only-inn if it were the only option, but Nashya's mention of an infestation worried him.  Sano tried to think what sort she could have meant, without asking her to elaborate.  Rats, bugs, bats, rat-bats, rugrats, bug-bats, bug-bears, zubats, irrate gnomes - the list goes on.  It sounded like a groan-worthy experience...until she mentioned there being a settlement down the road that was a bit more hopeful.  Further into Shadowmire, the more important buildings resided, and there were places to stay.  Seems it was where Nashya herself was staying.  She emphasized this, pointing out that she may not have a fixed address.  Sano certainly knew that feeling, but at least this was on their own terms, right?  He smiled at her little aside, then nodded at her offer.

"Sure.  I haven't traveled 'with' anyone this whole journey."

Straightening out his pack, as it'd gotten crooked at some point in the bar, he turned to the indicated direction, starting off as she did so they could walk side-by-side.

"It's alot more pleasant around here than Connlaoth."

He smirked, then, adding...

"Weather notwithstanding.  I have to wonder, is it the people or the atmosphere?  I didn't exactly have a good picture of a good day up there, as a kid."

Blink

Nashya nodded at his story of Connloath. She personally had never been, but had heard many stories of how the war was tearing the country apart. "You will find that here a lot of us are a lot more understanding." shrugging she started walking in the direction she had pointed. This would be nice, able to talk to someone other than herself or a member of Golden Gear for more than just a few minutes.

"So tell me more about your 'mission'. That is if you don't mind my asking." She was very cordial with her request. The reason behind it being moreso that she didn't want to talk about herself on this journey. The more she talked about what she was doing she knew that meant the more her inner self would chime in. Matter of fact she had been quiet for a few minutes now, most likely bored with whatever was going on. Silently Nashya hoped that it would stay this way the entire journey... she needed the break.

Just as she had hoped the rain had stopped the clouds were only just now disappearing as well. The sun was peaking out beyond them letting its rays dry the once soaked earth. It was turning out to actually be a nice day. Nashya smiled at that, having not enjoyed the sunshine in quite some time. Her pail skin reflected it, as well as the fact she was almost squinting as her normally covered eyes tried to adjust to it.

Wrathwyrm

Yeah, the day was turning out nice now.  The sun was out and soon the chill in the air would vanish.  It was a good time to be on the road with company.  She was right, of course.  Serendipity really treated his magic as more of an "Oh, neat." kind of thing, since apparently this ferro-control art - or simply 'metal magic', as Keefe put it - was pretty rare.  After all, everyone and their mother could learn elemental spells, casting fireballs and literally blowing people off of their feet.  Metallurgy in magic was alot different.

As for his mission...  Well, it couldn't hurt to talk about it in earnest.

"My mission is really a personal matter.  This vampire is a danger to anyone he comes across, but the real reason I want it dead is because of something he did.  I said I hated home and I meant it.  Before I ever showed any signs of having real magic, I was disowned and living on the streets.  The day I did was when I met my friend and mentor, Keefe.  She has my kind of power, but she's alot more advanced in it than me.  Because I was the only one she'd ever met with my ability, she allowed me to live in her house and take up some...rather grueling training."

Seriously, if she had been using real blades instead of dull metal rods, he'd've been dead a long time ago from the severity of it.  The unconscious wince - though, with a half-smile - at the thought indicated that she had been quite thorough about it.  Now, though, he looked kind of down.

"Keefe had been back in Connlaoth to handle some business when she was attacked by this vampire, and she'd been completely outclassed.  She barely made it back, and it was while fighting against an agonizing curse that was effectively torturing before killing her.  I barely managed to get her through it, almost killing her myself in the process.  When she was able to speak again, I heard the full story about the vampire."

He glared harshly now, looking Nashya's way, but obviously not pissed off at her.

"This woman made me everything I am, instead of dying in an alley somewhere.  I want this vampire so utterly dead that all power of evil and necromancy can't reach him.  I want him to never walk this Earth, even as a harmless nobody, so dead that gods of death swear at the sight of him."

He paused, letting out a breath to try and calm himself.

"...and that's my mission."

Blink

As they walked Nashya listened to Sano recount what had happened to his friend. It sounded horrible to say the least, his anger understandable at this point. "I would help if I could..." she paused as she considered what she was about to reveal to him. "... but I can't." The expression she wore was one of regret and sorrow as she spoke to him. She truly couldn't help if she wanted to, she had other obligations here.

"Your cause though does sounds truly worthy. I can't imagine anyone turning you down... well except me.. but I have to." Adjusting the strap on her bag again Nashya fell silent for a moment, the sound of her boots squishing the mud beneath them being the only thing that lingered for a moment. "Everyone I know that could help you is also tied up in the same dealings as I am. But like I said, this is Serendipity and most of us Serenian's are quite understanding of outsiders and their troubles."

Taking in a deep breath she held her head a little higher as she glared at the path in front of them. She was almost sad she had other obligations. So far Sano seemed like a nice guy, and she found it was really easy to talk to him. "I am sorry about what happened to your friend by the way." With that she lowered her head a bit, not really able to fully understand what it was like to have a friend and mentor injured like that. Nashya never really had any friends, the closest she had gotten with anyone really was Demagogue.. and they just worked together.

Of course she always wanted friends, but it was too dangerous with her other side popping in and out from time to time. She was able to control that side of herself lately better than she had in the past, but to say it was still inconvenient was an understatement. She couldn't help but wonder if without it she would even be in Golden Gear. "I thought we went over this. Without me you would still be begging for money at the docks." And with that it was back...

"Why are you pretending like you are some happy go lucky farm girl?". Furrowing her brow Nashya could not help but respond, whether Sano was listening or not.
"I'm not pretending anything." Her voice laced with agitation.
"I thought we had agreed you stay quiet and do your job and I let you stay in control." the voice countered, already beginning with her idle threats.

Rolling her eyes Nashya continued to walk, the annoyance in her eyes now evident. Why did her other half always have to do this? Was Nashya not allowed just one day of a peaceful mind? One without this side of her chiming in and ruining everything. Her eyes even began to water up a bit from the shear frustration she was feeling. "If you cry your going to look like an idiot" the voice egged her on, knowing full well which buttons to push.

Nashya continued to ignore the voice, not responding again but instead quickening her pace a bit. She had gone from a smiling girl walking with a stranger to one who looked like she would rather be any place than here.

Wrathwyrm

The more Nashya talked around whatever it was that she wasn't saying, the more it sounded like she had an obligation to fulfill that she just couldn't drop at a moment's notice.  Given the fact that he had already mentioned that gathering people would take a while, her statement indicated a longterm obligation, not a simple one.  This was understandable.  Sano had his obligations, as well.  He did not reveal that he was the protege' of the Ebon Knife, effectively the Ebon Knight.  He did not say where he came from, exactly, because the people of La'Marri rather like to keep to themselves.  In fact, the only reason he mentioned Keefe by name was because it was not known to the general public, certainly not in connection to her alias.

She truly wanted to help, though.  That lifted Sano's spirits, somewhat.  He really wished that she could.  Her sympathy and understanding was the sort of thing needed for this battle.  Those with the will to fight with their heart and soul would prevale, because the enemy doesn't have any.  At that point, Sano really wanted to know what she did so that he could try and convince her employer to allow it, especially considering that he would pay anyone who was signing on, once he was ready.  He only wanted to take up their time at the appointed hour, so it seemed possible that an agreement could be reached.  After all, unless she was Serenian military, she didn't have to have year-round dedication, right?  The only thing that might've kept his tongue on the matter - other than what happened next - was that it seemed like asking about it would cause her problems with whatever task it was.

It didn't stop me from learning of a certain alchemist's dragon problem, though...

Yes, there was that, and he felt bad about it, but what could you do?  Allaeya was suffering, and he didn't like that.  This wasn't the same.  The lament was in feeling for his problem and being unable to act on it.  Sano was about to suggest that she might be able to negotiate a temporary leave with her boss herself, but Nashya suddenly looked irritated at something.  Yeah, something else was on her mind, as well, and such irony to be said in that statement[/i]...  Before he could say anything, she muttered something about 'not pretending' and then quickened her pace suddenly.  What the...?  Was it about her boss?  Did bringing up her obligation remind her of some argument?  Sano wasn't going to guess at the whole personality issue.  He's never heard of such a thing, so his mind is going to leap to other explanations.  Now, he was catching up to her, being one of excellent physical shape and endurance.

"Hey, whoa, calm down!  If your boss is working you that hard, maybe he should give you a break.  Whatever it is you do, you can't do it while he's driving you up the wall."

Blink

Nashya stopped in her tracks at the mention of her boss working her too hard. Of course that wasn't it at all, but instead the voice in her mind that never wanted to shut up. "Yeah, just calm down" the voice chimed in, mocking her further.

Once again she was rolling her eyes as well as taking in an exasperated breath. "She has not given me more than I can handle" a sense of untold duty in her tone. "But I can't just stop, especially now. There is too much at risk and too much we still have to do." Her eyes darted back and forth as she played the plan out in her mind.

"I just get easily frustrated is all...." she started walking again, but this time slower than before. "... if you only knew the circumstances I was faced with you would understand."

"I am not a circumstance... I am forever a part of you.

And then Nashya was back to ignoring it, realizing what had just happened. The voice, it tempted her again.. pushed her buttons like it always had. For a brief moment she allowed it to upset her, causing all of this unneeded duress.

Wrathwyrm

Not he, she, and of course Sano would have no idea if Nashya was referring to her real boss, or the personality that was continually grating on her nerves.  He let the woman say her peace on the matter, not really having a parallel to put forth there.  Keefe was no slavedriver, figuratively or literally, so he really just didn't know the pressures Nashya could be under.

"Sounds important.  Well, I haven't exactly been through anything like that, so I really don't know what it's like.  I just know how to bear it or beat it's face in."

After all, the problems with his father were just abuse.

"Not saying you should try the latter, mind.  Maybe if there was something that was actually a threat around here, you'd relieve some tension, beating it.  Keefe told me, 'If you're feeling that worked up, you may as well find someone who fights and get it out of your system.  Fight doesn't like to leave you alone, otherwise.'."

This, of course, led to Sano getting his ass kicked, because his frustrations and the need to fight caused him to make mistakes that she took advantage of and made him look extremely foolish.  It also hurt, but big surprise, there.

Blink

Listening as he spoke Nashya found a bit of solace in his voice. Even with him not having any idea what was going on in her head he seemed to understand a bit. From the moment he said it the light in her mind was flashing. "Bear it or beat it... you can't literally beat me" her whisper noted, knowing full well that if she could she would.

"I think your onto something Sano" she stated completely ignoring the power in her mind trying to push her buttons once more. "The day is still not yet half over. We are nearly halfway to the next town. How about we take a break." Without even waiting for an answer Nashya stepped off the path, taking solace under a tree not only for the shadow it created but the shelter it provided from the now hot sun.

Sliding her bag off of her shoulder she allowed it to fall to the ground along with her cloak she had slumped over it. "Would you care to spar?" tilting her head she almost seemed a little sarcastic with her response. What would a small woman like her with no weapons to speak of be able to spar with. Well, she figured she had already oh so subtly hinted at so much about herself, what harm could it do to show him her true power.

In fact, it had been so long since she used her abilities for anything other than listening that she looked forward to letting them out. Of course, only if Sano agreed to it.

Wrathwyrm

Damn right, he was onto something.  Sano smirked at the response he got there.  It was about time something he said made someone's day better.  He was starting to think he was just bad at talking to people.  So, apparently they'd made it halfway there and Nashya wanted to take a break.  She suggested it, and then executed it without really waiting for input.  Of course, said input was going to be that he didn't have a problem with it.  After all, he's been traveling all over, and the sun was eventually going to make things hot for him.  Honestly, black was an excellent color for things, but it was not the best thing for a warm day.

So, like her, he headed for the shade.  Now, he wasn't fully recovered from the fact that he'd had a little to drink, but when you consider his reaction to that uhh...house...you have to figure he's pretty accurate, even after having had a few.  Nashya, of course, knew a smattering of what he was capable of, there.  Between her shadow-spying and actually seeing some of it firsthand, plus the tale of his past, she had to know that he was a dangerous guy, in of himself.  This may be why, after a moment, she asked if they could spar.  That, and her frustrations, most likely.  Who knows?  Perhaps she'd feel better.  He had no idea what she was capable of.  Judging by the secrecy of her work, he figured that Nashya must be heavily skilled somehow.  So, he nodded at her.

"Sure.  What kind of combat do you prefer?  Hand-to-hand?  Blades?  Staves?  Magic?  Or uhh...all of it?"

He didn't assume anything about her.  The women in his life, thus far, tended to be dangerous in some way.  Or at least, the most interesting ones were.


Blink

Nashya took a moment to consider her options. She did have a few daggers in her pack that she used to use before fully understanding her abilities. However, she was never more than 'okay' at wielding them. Same with hand to hand, not really much muscle on her.. she had always been a bit on the small side physically.

"Magic" the only words the would escape her mouth before lowering her head a bit, a more sinister look now laying on her face. This was the only way she could use them, the dark creatures that powered her shadow abilities. They were just as dark and twisted as the other half of her mind and so she would have to summon a bit of that to the surface. Forever ago she would have been afraid of this, her darker self surely would have taken over. But like I said... that was so long ago.

Slowly Nashya raised her hands up from her sides, the shadow from the tree coming to life with the action. It began to twist and bend into the shape of her shadow hounds, growling and foaming at the mouth with soulless eyes. The shadow was now darker and sinister, no longer an innocent thing created from a simple tree and the sun. This was only the beginning as she pulled from the dimension of dark energy she borrowed her abilities from.

Not only were her hounds created from this simple shadow but it seemed to grow, encasing the foilage of the tree first and then extending its reach to the ground around it, the darkness now much larger than what should have been there. She was pulling only a small amount of the negative energy in this world, allowing Sano just a glimpse at what was always haunting her mind... and she hadn't even shown him her yet.

"Don't be afraid to hurt me. I can take a hit." In fact that was what she was counting on. The pain and suffering of any blow would only fuel the darkness now flowing out from around her.

Wrathwyrm

She said one word - Magic - and then proceeded to make Sano worry.  No, it wasn't a case of him feeling insubstantial in terms of magic ability.  His ability was strong and he was sure of its power.  It responded to his thoughts and even instincts, so that even an unfocused desire to protect himself would become a defense.  No, what worried him was what Nashya proceeded to do after she spoke.  It wasn't the look on her face.  That didn't help matters, but it was when her power began to manifest that Sano's eyes widened.

Oh hell, not THIS again!

It was shadow magic, or a similar power over darkness.  As Nashya began to form her hounds - her very large hounds - and extend the force of shadow from the tree, Sano wisely backed up, giving himself some room to work with, since this was a magic duel and that meant you could blow yourself away, casting too close to your given target.  Sano had previously been attacked with shadow magic in a confrontation with an unreasoning half-phoenix man-thing.  He had no idea why a phoenix would have dark powers and he really didn't care.  Now, Nashya was telling him not to worry about hurting her.

"Easy for you to say.  I figured you had alot of power, but I didn't expect this."

There was another reason why he would worry, regardless of her request.  She didn't know - She would have no idea - that he was trained in the art of assassination...

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

"Now remember, we're keeping your weapons dull, but they are weapons.  Every strike will hurt like hell, and I will NOT be going easy on you."

A simple forest clearing, daytime.  A younger Sano and Keefe stand in a small clearing, outside of La'Marri.  Sano is in ordinary day-to-day clothes.  Keefe is in her black leather assassin gear, with the hood and all.  She is a Beastkin, as stated, effectively an upright ferret-person by the same token that Gnolls are upright jackal-people.  She is slender, quick, and dangerous.  Yes, even with dull weapons.

"Doesn't 'Not going easy on me' mean 'Gonna kill you' in Keefe-talk?"

"Dead people can't feel pain anymore..."

Those words...combined with that frosty glare...made him shudder, briefly.  As per their training this time, Keefe was using only a pair of daggers and Sano had only a sword.  No creations, no powers - just skill, speed, and endurance.  The two of them began, and at first it seemed like Sano had a good handle on deflections, but Keefe stepped up her game by altering her own balance and stabbing in as he shoved aside one of her daggers.  Sano grunted and backed away as Keefe pressed forwards.

"Distraction is lethal."

He regained his edge and began to force her back with a number of swungs that would knock her hands away and probably disarm a lesser opponent if the blades connected.  Then, she blocked blocked with both daggers in a scissor position and kicked him twice in the stomach, rapidly.

"We're not just fighting with swords.  You see an opening, you take it, no hesitation."

From here, she parried the attacks he was using to put some space between them by striking against the flat of his sword, interrupting the flow of his swings with lightning speed and precision aim.  She was completely calm...until she kicked the sword right out of his hands, and then went to town on his torso!

"Strike first!  Strike always!"

In the midst of this, Sano's fist came out and wickedly pounded into her diaphragm, and then he got in a few other good shots, even one across the cheekbone that caused her to lose balance.  This would've been great if she hadn't been dealing with this stuff for years now.  She was at least five years older than him, five years ahead of him in development.  Keefe let the fall take her into a roll, which spun into her kicking his feet out from under him suddenly, and then grabbing him before he hit the ground to use great speed and momentum to thrust him into a tree!  Sano's body was blasted suddenly with pain.  He gritted his teeth and opened his eyes to find Keefe just looking at him a moment.

"I'm surprised you could take that level of punishment without passing out, much less retaliate in that condition.  I mean, you'd still be DEAD, but I guess you're improving."

"Am I gonna become...just like you when we're done with this training?"

She considered that possibility, a thoughtful expression on her face, then shook her head.

"No.  You look like the forgiving type.  I'll teach you everything I know, and that may make it harder for you not to kill when you're fighting, but you're not that ruthless, Sano.  Not if you don't want to be."


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

Assassins can fight, but assassins don't need to fight.  Their job is to kill.  Though...it seemed like there was more than one target here.  Were these hounds alive?  What happens when he harms one?  Only one way to find out.  Sano drew his sword, but when he did...his magic came into play.  Thus far, Nashya had only viewed a few simple tricks of his power.  What popped right out of the skin of his sword were a pair of morningstar heads...about six feet in diameter.  They were as big as a human was tall, and they flew at the darkhounds!  Might as well have been flung by a catapult, the way they were moving, trying to crush those things' faces in.

Blink

Not even flinching Nashya watched as one of the large morningstars made its way towards her shadowhands. She didn't even try to will the hound to dodge it, but instead merely shifted her eyes for a second as the large weapon impaled her hound causing a loud yelp to escape the creature before its form burst and slowly retracted back into the earth's shadow in which it came.

"Interesting..." she muttered as she flicked a wrist and sent one of her hounds towards Sano. Of course she would not allow it to take lethal action against him, but as she had told him not to be afraid to hurt her she would do the same for him. As her remaining hound hurled forwards at him Nashya flicked her other wrist and turned her head a bit in that direction as she watched yet another one of her manifestations come to life. This one was far more human-like. It had a distinguishable head but with dead white eyes. It's fingers were long and slender, as was its arms. It had an irregular posture, one that was slightly hunched over. The very essence of this manifestation was horrid, one that would place nightmares in any child's head for years to come.

It had been too long since she was able to bring herself to tap into the dimension in which she pulled these creatures. She even believed that the dimension she pulled them from was where her darker self originally manifested. She could remember when she first realized the abilities she possessed and it wasn't long after she started tapping into them that she found she was not alone in her mind anymore.

Turning her attention back towards her latest manifestation Nashya watched as it took on a sinsister personality of its own. It bore no expression as it stared at Sano with dead eyes. Maybe summoning this one was a mistake? She could feel herself growing uneasy herself as she stood next to it, this creature who was staring at Sano like its next victim. In truth, this manifestation was always the one she feared most, second to that of her own darkened soul constantly trying to get through.


Wrathwyrm

These creatures - these living shadows - seemed to be truly alive in some capacity of he was able to burst and destroy them with his attacks.  That was good.  They seemed to require bodily stability to retain form and their place in the world.  Once Sano caused a reasonable reduction in numbers, he felt a bit more at ease, but Nashya had to be a gifted shadow mage to summon these things.  She seemed to be working on something else as the last remaining darkhound leapt at him.  Surprised, Sano changed his wrist-guard into a full tower shield and slammed back at it once it the thing impacted before trying to cut it in half with his sword.

Damn, she could really mess people up, if she wanted to.

During this time, he noticed that her capabilities weren't limited to that of the hounds.  There was a white-eyed shadow...person...thing here too now.  It was standing in a limp hunched position, looking disproportionate with the way a human body worked.  It...looked like it might, say, be able to hurl things at a speed of Hot Damn.  Sano decided to put that to the test, for now.  Since he had this shield, he could afford to risk it.  The big morningstars were retrieved by his will, flying at the thing's back - since they'd flung past before when they hit - one after the other on a collision course!

Blink

Nashya's hesitation to use this manifestation only confirmed itself as the beast moved on its own, having sensed the morningstars headed at it from behind. It didn't necessarily run but moreso crawled in a sense away at a very quick speed. Its expression remained the same as it countered the move, the eyes of the manifestation never leaving Sano's form. This was why Nashya was always so worried when she summoned this creature. It had always moved of its own free will, her control on it minimal at best.

With ease the creature maneuvered itself a fair distance away from the weapons before it began circling Sano, its long and dark fingers held in front of it like a prehistoric reptile. Still under the tree Nashya could feel the desires of the monster she had summoned, the soul desire to kill. "I think I've had enough." She spoke before lifting her head a bit, her expression worried as she waited for the creature to be pulled back to the dimension in which it came... but it didn't.

"I said I've had enough!" she yelled at the creature whose eyes were still locked on Sano like a shark stalking its pray. It's gaze did not waiver for even a moment at her demand, but instead it continued its path on encircling the man she had just met. "I'll say when I've had enough" the voice in her mind finally speaking up after many moments of silence.

"No. I am in control and I say I am done." Her voice was sharp in response to her inner self. After that there was silence in her mind and when she went to look at the creature who was disobeying her it had already begun to vanish. Nashya couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment at this as she believed for once her darker self was finally complying with what she wanted.

Wrathwyrm

So, while he was busy with the hound, he had projected those morningstars, which of course prompted Sano to get back behind said shield so he wouldn't have to exercise his will on stopping them.  Starting the momentum of an object was easy.  Stopping it took effort.  The big spiky balls clanged heavily off of the tower shield, which was heavy and solid, thus able to withstand the things...though unwieldy when attached to one's wrist.  All this happened pretty fast, and the morningstars just sort of rolled to a stop across the road.

Meanwhile, that hooligan - whatever it was - had done him a creepy.  The way it moved, the way it always stared right at him, and its clear and dangerous intent was certainly cause for concern.  Like...alot of it.  The thing was circling him, and he was sure the thing could swipe or slam faster than he could get this heavy shield around.  Moving it around without taking his arm into consideration could effectively snap his arm right off.  Unlike with his flight to Ketra, he wasn't grabbing his torso armor with his mind, the center of his mass.  This was a bit more fragile and problematic.

Maybe if I just duck and turn the shield into flying razor-spikes-

Suddenly, he heard some shouting from Nashya, who seemed to be having some problems.  Wait...was she not in control of this tihng?  No, that couldn't be right.  Her power was clear here.  She had an excellent grasp of the shadow, judging from his own experiences.  Then what?  The creature was resisting her?  In the end, the thing vanished before his eyes, which allowed Sano to return his equipment to normal.  He called forth the two mace-heads and shrank them down into a pair of daggers, then put them on his belt.  Finally, he looked to the shadow mage, a little concerned...but keeping it civil.

"That creature didn't want to obey.  I take it the more power they have, the more rowdy they can be?"

No, he has still not twigged that there's two minds at work here.

Blink

"You could say that..." Nashya's reply once again dancing around the truth. "I summon them from another plane. One that is connected to the shadows I can control." It was always so hard to explain to someone who didn't use shadow magic how summoning worked. The manifestations were real living creatures, just ones not of this world. She could pull them from the dark world her abilities fed off of into this one, but only for a short time.

The longer they were out usually the stronger they became. However, the more humanoid one in particular was in a class all on its own. It was harder for Nashya to bend its will, almost impossible to control any movements it made. "It's been a while since I summoned that one." She felt she didn't have to explain which creature she was talking about. "Even it gives me the creeps."

"I can feel what it feels and..." she paused to calm her mind at the thought. "... it wanted to do more than just swiftly kill you."

"But enough about me. You are amazing!" Nashya's face lit up as she remembered watching him create weapons from seemingly nothing. "I have never seen someone who can do that! Only ever heard of it." Leaning down she picked up her bag from the grass and slinked it over her shoulder. "You truly have some skill Sano."

Wrathwyrm

Plane?  Oh wait, he remembered now.  Someone mentioned spiritual planes and communing with spirits.  Nashya spoke of summoning these shadow-things from a place like that, some sort of world of shadows and darkness.  She was admittedly giving himthe abridged explanation, for people who wouldn't know the intricacies off-hand.  No worries.  He didn't need to know that much, just a decent grasp of things.  The shadows were alive and they sometimes resisted their summoner.  It happened, sometimes.  She admitted that that one was something of a rarity in her own summoning...and definitely creepy.

What surprised him was that she could feel its intentions, and it wanted to do things to him - things that were probably unsavory and horrible - before killing him.  That shadow realm was definitely an unpleasant place.  Very unsettling.  Fortunately, Nashya wrecked the ominous feeling with a sudden compliment.  She found his power and abilities rather impressive.  Such a earnest statement made him smile without even realizing it.  Heh, all that training...  It certainly pays to do things the hard way, sometimes.  He nodded in acknowledgement of her kind words.

"Thank you, Nashya.  It really was alot of work...and study...and pain.  Well, wasn't all bad.  Still, I can tell you're very gifted, yourself."

He now picked up his own pack from where it lay.

"At a guess, I would say you can do in shadow everything I do in metal, plus summoning, and add to that anything I missed.  Would that be about right?"

Blink

She smiled at his comment on her being gifted as well. "We know" the voice in her mind chimed in, causing yet another eyeflick from Nashya before she regained her focus. He was asking more about her abilities, all of his statement true in a sense. "Pretty much..."

Stepping out from under the tree Nashya began walking again towards the larger settlement they were originally headed towards. It was nice to take a break and not really have a specific time she had to be somewhere. She figured that by now Cyn and Demagogue had figured she took the day off to do whatever it was she wanted to. She wasn't obligated to stick around all the time, she could come and go as she pleased... but she did have work to do.

As she walked Nashya held one of her hands on the strap of her bag, trying to find something else to talk about so they were not walking in silence. "How old were you when you began training? Or better question... how old were you when you realized you could do that with metal?" There was more to her question than she was letting on.

Nashya had not realized she even had the ability to tap into shadow magic until she was at least 14 or so, even still she had no one to show her what to do. Everything Nashya knew was taught through trial and error, her biggest error still living on in her head for what seemed like an eternity... so she assumed.

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