The Other Side of the Coin (Tisiphone)

[Charo Rakirhata]

The Month of Junctior
During the Season of Summer of Era II
Era XI Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening

“Feslaa.”

Evening had veiled the marshlands in a blanket of a warm, summer darkening. Starts glittered brightly in a sky so clear that one could perhaps stare straight to Aetheria if their eyes could navigate the maddening infinity of blackness. Soft breezes flit like tiny, ghostly flinches between ancient trees – they made nary a sound, their presence heralded by the scent of season flora and oceanic salts, and gently tickled at the obsidian fur of the disciple. In the grander perspective of things, nothing at all had truly changed from that fateful night when a once-novitiate had blindly sought a means to the end of rather peculiar quest.

On a personal level, however, so much actually had changed. The girl had evolved. She had never forgotten the instruction of the omnipotent being who had granted her such knowledge – the stuff of storybooks, fairytales, and legends – but she had grown with it. Once upon a time, she only knew that she was doing something fantastic, but, now, she understood a bit more of the mechanics and meaning behind the art. In what could be considered a laughable or ironic twist of fate, the servant had never learned the names of this oh-so-very basic techniques divulged to her – but oh how her little mind come to terms with their fundamental background and taken off in a magnificent direction. Perhaps that is what the creature had intended. Perhaps not. It – though its voice may have been masculine, she often wondered if such a creature even possessed another quite like itself out in the world – was always a rather vague fellow when it came to motivations.

“I’ve come to talk to you again.”

She stood in the same location when she had first laid sights on its miraculous lair. It could have been a rice paddy again. It may as well have been the ocean itself. Aeternia, there could be a mountain sitting before the woman of faith, now. Such was the illusionary power of this beast. Regardless of what did – or did not, as the case may be – remain to greet her, she stood wherever she had once stood upon the boarder or coastline of the womb-like lake. Now, however, amber-flecked eyes peered out over the murky expanse in the wonderful haze of a meditatively induced clara. Just as it had taught her to see the world. To see what was meant to be seen. She had grown accustomed to the flurry of insane colors, scents, sounds, and other intangible oddities, but she had never ceased in relishing their wonderful presence. They were part of her now, and she did not look for any of the energies she simply knew would be there – she looked for any sign of it.

Moonlight reflected off the silver studs and hoops hanging from the ears of the feline creature as it turned its head slowly this way and that. The eyes, forever keen, scanned across the landscape for any telltale sign. Her tail move to and fro with a lazy swish-swish. She may have been a katta no longer – so warped and demonized had the Aeternian ritual forced her to become – but she had never lost their catty awareness or behaviorisms. Still, the Udran’Beydir had returned to this place of enlightenment despite the perils and dangers that she had previously been berated with. She was a creature of the world, one of with a sense – though skewed in many regards, mind you – of respect, and also a product of fanatic faith. So perhaps she had returned in a response to an unnerving article, perhaps to repay an old debt, or even as yet another mission of her creed. Or maybe a combination of all three.

“If you would only talk to me…”

[Nimh]

Crickets sang their praises to the darkening as Charo approached the area she recalled as the same place she had come to see the amphibious creature that had opened her mind. In some places, the crickets faded, only to be overtaken by a second chorus of crickets that upheld their part of the song, continuing that dry, monotonous lullaby. Somewhere nearby a frog joined in, his own pitch high, his notes long, but still just as steady and unchanging as the melody of the crickets. These noises were not unfamiliar to the darkening, just as the landscape itself seemed unaltered by the time gone since Charo's absence. One thing was off, however. There was no tiny farmer's shack, no water-sunk patches of rice, obscuring the stretches of land. Here there was only muck and the beginning of a lake with its surroundings marshlands.

As Charo dipped into into clara, the view changed slightly, shifting from the normal, bland shades of evening into a shifting façade of arcane energies. Ara whirled around her, intangible to the fingers, but not to the mind...not in this state. Try as might to detect some scent of arcana being used throughout the near vicinity, there was none. There were no active spells, only small waves that slurped along the muddy lake shore and thick reeds and cattails that shivered in the salt-ladden breeze as it moved in off the not-so-distant ocean front.

But there, somewhere not too far off the shore of the lake, somewhere sunken in the murky waves, there was an alteration to the energies that undulated effortlessly about the world. It was almost like a beakon, blaring bright and true in comparison to the other wisps of arcane that were present. There was a more concentrated pool of magic there, as if it had been gathered, brought together by some exterior force. And there, amid the waves, appeared the figure of a human wading through the waist-deep water towards the shore. The huddled mass of arcana followed the figure as it moved...coming to a pause where the knees only were immersed in the water and the muck below.

"Charo Rakirhata. I remember you. You came searching for something the last time I saw you. You left with some of my knowledge." The voice did not match the figure standing in the water, but harked back to an earlier conversation that Charo had taken part in before. It seemed somehow part of the water. "You've come back searching again. What will you leave with this time?" it maintained its illusion despite what had appeared to be distaste for the creatures that walked with their two legs across solid ground.

[Charo Rakirhata]

Internally, the girl would have quirked in an eyebrow at this rather curious image pulling itself up and through the murky water. Upon their first meeting, this spectacular illusion would have amazed the devout creature – not that she scoffed at such mastery by any means – but now it was merely looking upon bits and pieces of an equation. There was a system and means to it all – a system that the katta had begun to understand and apply the knowledge that this water-bound force had left her with.

“I would like to know your name.” The strange soul trapped somewhere beneath the muddy surface would no doubt be able to probe and lick its way about her thoughts, but she still chose to speak aloud in that low, whispering voice. The empathetic aura surged outwards, sideways, upways, and any other direction conceivable in search of some emotive insignia – anything that would say the water-warden was indeed there or if it indeed emanate some form of emotion.

Yet, she did not take a step towards the humanoid figure rising so ghastly and spectral from the deep – no, her soft paws remained steadfast upon the safety of the shore. Scarlet eyes sparkled like two wet spheres of feline curious, but they stared somehow at the body and through it to the silent depths at the same time. In a sense, something she could not truly explained had driven the disciple back to this forlorn place – something that was born of a respect, a graciousness, and even a desire to perhaps show that she was capable of aspiring to these arcane arts more than what it had seemed the amorphous glow had given her credit for. Still, there did exist a slight sense of fear in its most primal form – fear of the unknown, fear of what she did not understand, and a fear to survive. Whatever resided beneath the cold wetlands outside of Vers was something that was far greater than a very large percentile of the empire. Greater in terms of knowledge, power, and capability. At least, greater than most of what the Udran’Beydir had come across in her time.

“By what name do the land-walkers call you?” Her sultry voice added a slight emphasis to the irony of the word – as she was just as much one of those as the next – but she spoke still a flat, matter-of-factness. If her suspicions were correct, she may harbor a strong form of dislike against these particular land-walkers herself.

[Nimh]

The water pooled its ripples around the figure. The pattern that edged away, however, did not seem quite to match the width of the illusion cast. This made sense, of course. How could the surrounding elements be expected to bend to the illusions of a mage if the elements themselves were not altered? In the image of a land-walker, the creature took a small step backwards, sinking further into the waves to immerse itself in the cool, refreshing fluid. It seemed relaxed in Charo Rakirhata's presence. At least, it didn't appear ill-at-ease. What reason had it to fear her or anyone else when it could combine the energies around it and twist a victim's mind at will?

The illusion slowly shifted, melting downwards, fading until the slender man that had once stood there was now the rather bulky fish-like body with tentacles that allowed the beast to adjust its position within the water. Gray-splotches decorated the blue-green skin that stretched across its hide like rubber. One tentacle snaked around to scratch the pink under-belly, just beneath its gaping maw. Somehow Charo sensed that it was smiling, although there was no semblance of a smile stretched across that oddly shaped mouth. The amusement that the creature felt was transferred to Charo's mind, it would seem. Amusement and pride, somehow. "Your question is accurate," the beast allowed after a moment. "I have no name for myself. That is an odd concept made by you land-walkers that seek to possess everything around them. The land-walkers, however. They have a name for me. They have many names for me. Beast and creature are two. Monster is another. Some know me as Aboleth."

He sunk a few feet backwards into the water, lolling onto his side, then onto his back, before righting himself again. A tentacle moved idly over the ridge of his back. "You have not wanted to know my name before, Charo Rakirhata. Have you come all this way to ask a silly land-walker question? This does not seem like important knowledge to me."

[Charo Rakirhata]

OOC: We have a slight change on our hands – read my SoF for details. Shouldn’t change things too terribly much, but I figured it’d be worth a mention.

At first, the feline head cocked to the side in the curious manner it was wont to do. Bright eyes of glorious red – if she had still possessed anything of them – would have widened in shock and grotesque awe of this strange creature. As it was now, those pools of scarlet had become seared scars of flesh and nothingness – that was not to say, however, that the disciple could not see this strange creature. It could tell, perhaps, that from behind the blood-stained cloth of the blindfold the girl was observing his alien form just as keenly as during lessons long past.

His superior perception of the senses and the mind would also pick up on a strange mixture of awareness and emotion coursing throughout the mind of the Udran’Beydir – there was intense curiosity, still even a bit of that fear-driven awe, but now also a resigned sense of purpose or direction burning brightly. Upon their first meeting, she really had no way of seeing past the copious amounts of mud, so she could only assume what the physical body of this strange, fantastic thing looked like. She had assumed it possessed large arms or tentacles of sorts, she had guessed the thing to be fish-like or aquatic, and she had even thought it to be of a massive stature – all of those predictions were very much so correct. Yet, actually seeing the body that housed the omnipotent mind in all its loathsome glory was another matter altogether. Off-handedly, she wondered where the strange, orb-like glow had emanated from – that insignificant thought was cast aside as the creature answered her question.

It appeared she was also correct about something else. Her once-upon-time mentor was indeed the same target of the ne’er-do-well in that headline.

“Aboleth?” She whispered the question out without really asking anything at all. Her little head turned upright and her lips did little more than remain in that solemn, grim line – without the tempest of colors in her eyes, there was very little expressive qualities in that miserable face.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be much less of a silly land-walker regardless of where I come from, no?” Her voice still remained cool and rasped, but there was a plaintive, matter-of-factness about it – a rather skewed form of humor or fun. Something about the way in which this thing smiled – or rather felt- without smiling at all had begun to put her at a slight ease. There was a slight pause and her head again tilted to look out upon the vastness of the murky lake. A second later, as though she had gathered her thoughts, the veiled sockets fell upon her host.

“Whether or not you care much for it you’ve made quite a name for yourself, you know.” Perhaps he did. Perhaps he did not. His aptitude was rather astounding, but she may as well reiterate the fact. “There are land-walkers that seek to capture you. A certain Lord Ludstone has called out for a gathering of others. They wish to to make a display of you.”

[Nimh]

ooc: noted Thanks for the point out! And I'm sorry for the wait. It's one of those weeks...
Also, I'm a little under the weather so posting quality isn't so great Just thought I'd warn you ahead of time...

ic:
A moment of silence drifted between the pair as it considered her words. Had it struck home in the Aboleth, for it was rather quiet as it shifted its tentacles idly through the dirt-strewn water, or was it merely trying to comprehend the gravity of her words? As she well-knew, she was a land-walker and he did not know her terms so well as he could, being that he was a creature of the water and did not have a reason to venture beyond his home. And yet there were things that he did know without having to leave the lake. He had his natural ability of reading the minds of his prey. And was that not a good enough place to glean information of the things that roamed the soil and not the water?

The Aboleth pushed itself away from its stationary position, moving instead to rest a few feet away. Its body pushed into the muck beneath it, stirring up more mud in the green-brown water. A tentacle reached out to the land, as if to snatch Charo from the shore. But it merely tickled the tip along the edge of the water before dragging it back alongside its body. "I do not know this Lord Ludstone or that he means to make some...display...of me." The same slimy tentacle dripped water along its exposed back. "Is this like being possessed, Charo Rakirhata? Is being displayed like being possessed?" This was the only sense it could make out of her announcement. "Of course. That must be it. You land-walkers have a drive to possess. It is sad, Charo Rakirhata, when those created by nature must seek to possess it."

It shifted down into the water again, completely submerged, then popped back up, a sound much like a sigh bursting through the strange mouth that adorned the pink underbelly shading. "Why tell me, Charo Rakirhata? Most land-walkers, it seems, trade nicely for possessions. Is that not the fashion of land-walkers? You have no cause to worry. I have many ways of defending myself, although I find it pleasant that you found fit to tell me, Charo Rakirhata. I would probably not have known until it was...what is it you land-walkers say?...too late?"

[Charo Rakirhata]

“Yes.” Her head dipped in an affirming nod to the first question of this water bounded creature. “In truth, I am not aware of the specific reasoning and logic behind this desire or even if this wish goes deeper than the mere sake of wanting, but they do wish to possess you.” The black tail twitched again, as it often did, but the girl made no move to retreat or advance on the fish-like thing. She was as much home in that viscous lake as the aboleth was on the hearty, humid turf that her paws trekked across.

“I was possessed by another at one time.” There was an uncanny offhandedness in the way that the whispered voice continued. The rasped qualities became almost velvet as she recanted those miserable memories without so much as batting an eyelash now. “I had never grown so much under the mortal reigns of another as I did when I answered to no one but those not of this realm. You gave me something that I once thought only existed in the fantastic tales of soothsayers and storytellers, but you also gave me something that has played a key part in my growth.” There was a pause here as she searched for those words that could say what her mind wished to. He was not like anyone else the Udran’Beydir had ever met – he was something else entirely and practically spoke a language or understanding all his own. Like her, he operated on a different level than most others. “I still am not sure what exactly it is that drives you onwards, but that is not so important or not for me to understand, no? I am certain, however, that you helped me when you had no obligation to do so and even after I trespassed in your home. I’ve found that to be rare in this world. Unique, even. Something like that should not be locked away or possessed by another.”

It was true. For as monstrous and horrible as anyone had made the water-warden out to be, he had done nothing but help guide the disciple down the path set before her. In her heart, she figured that it would be perhaps rude to offer whatever services she could to this once-instructor, but, she also considered, that something as magnificent as this would be an amazing force to contend with – especially in its own home. Perhaps this simple encounter had done the aboleth a great service. She could do more, yes, but she would not intrude unless it was requested of her. Perhaps this was all he really needed.

There was another pause – this one more lingering. So attuned to the subtle signs in life, the observant fish-like creature would immediately notice an aura of relief or comfort surrounding about the blinded katta. Though she stood as rigid and still as she had arrived, there was just something about the ease of breath and the calmness in motion.

“I truly have grown much since we last met, you know.” Her voice had an uplifting quality about it now. She felt she should at least say something, in this regard, to at least prove that his efforts of long ago had not gone in vain. There was even a sense of pride somewhere in the inflection. “I’ve found that there are common names given to those tools you offered me. Not so important, but interesting nonetheless. I have never stopped striving to gain knowledge, build understanding, and add onto the foundation you left me with. I am capable of so much now, but there is still an endless reach of this stuff I have yet to even tap into.” He may have been able to tell that easily enough on his own, but it felt strange and good at the same time to remember just how much she really had grown since that time.

“I have discovered that I am almost proficient enough to seek out a limb of enchanted wood. Perhaps you know of this practice? It is something fairly known amongst land-walkers – something that allows us a direct link to those fantastic energies you first opened my eyes to. I am to search out a glades of sorts scattered across the empire if I cannot somehow manage to come across one of those raw timbers by another means.” She had heard by mention that such places did exist in the great span of the Dolwoods and other, stranger locations, but this was vague in itself. Still, if she were to ever carry on with the gift quite like this being had granted her, it was something that had to be done. “Perhaps you know more than I do? Would something like this truly allow me to come even close to the level at which you understand or see the hidden world all about us?”

[Nimh]

The water-based Aboleth shifted in the darkened lake waters, the movements of its tentacles spreading ripples and small, breaks against the moist dirt and rock-strewn shoreline. The rubbery-fleshed beast seemed to be considering the situation, still processing the concept of the land-walkers definition of possession. It supposed this practice was something along the lines of itsown methods of snaring its prey and taking away the life that rested in their delicate bodies. But that was a different sort of possession. That was survival. It did not think it truly necessary for any of the land-walkers to survive by possessing it. At least, not to any knowledge that the Aboleth had stumbled upon during the patterns spent accosting travelers and natives to the land.

The Aboleth drew away from its contemplation as Charo Rakirhata pushed away from the hunt and on to her own experiences. It was something of passing interest to the beast, hardly relevant or necessary to its day-to-day living, but still...these words were something to store into its memories to keep and nuture, to develop and maybe someday use to its advantage. "I am glad my teaching has gained you wisdom rather than falling into negligence, Charo Rakirhata," it admitted, its great body tilting slightly as it peered at her. "You speak of changes. You look changed, different from the last you were here. Still, you see what matters in this world. The natural things of this world. That is good, Charo Rakirhata. Something to be held on to."

Still, the Aboleth found it odd that she might need something to further nuture the raw talent she held within her. "A...limb?" Had she not specified that it was a limb of wood, it might have questioned her intelligence. Who had ever heard of an enchanted body part, after all? Not that it wasn't possible any more... "I have but only heard of this sort of thing in passing, Charo Rakirhata. I have seen many with our gift and some with odd bits of wood that seemed to pulse with energy. I merely assumed it had been possessed of a spell and had not bothered to glean from the minds of my prey what it truly is used for." It had no use for these things, after all. Its talent was natural, built into its very system. It wasn't something that had to be nurtured and grown from scratch. It was born into the Aboleth. "I don't know of this wood, Charo Rakirhata."