[RP]Obake Blade

[Jason Skywalker]

"Heh, i think he's going to have more of a hungover than a headache," Akira responded with another joke. He looked around. Seemed a lot of things where destroyed.

 

"I wonder who will pay for all of these."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Not us." Kyo said, wincing slightly as he moved his shoulder and stood up straight. He approached the other two, allowing the blade of his sword to hang low, the point nearly touching the ground. The way he had landed on his shoulder had probably injured him a bit, but it shouldn't be all too serious. And no one else would have to be the wiser.

 

"They owe us at least that for killing the thing before it killed or destroyed even more." The swordsman looked around at the devestation, searching for the others. "What happened to Toa? Is he alright? I saw his dragon come back to life, but..." There was no sign of the pyromacer.

[Jason Skywalker]

"No, they owe you for killing it. We didn't do basically anything," Akira said sarcastically.

 

"He's ok. I think."

[JasraLantill]

Although she couldn't possibly have seen it, the very moment the bone dragon had perished Aya's eyes popped open. She was in the cellar, along with what seemed half the entire population of the city (although it was really just the people that had been in and around the market square at the time of the attack) all huddled together in fear.

 

"You alright, Aya?" Renn asked as he bent down over her. "You should have come down here when I...."

 

"It's gone," Aya interrupted.

 

Renn frowned.

 

"The dragon," Aya explained. "It's... gone."

 

Renn hushed the low murmur from the people around him, then cocked his ear to listen. "It is awful quiet out there," he said to the others.

 

"Could be a lull!" someone in the back of the room suggested.

 

"No, no it's gone," said Aya. "I'm sure of it." She started to sit up, and only when she felt herself slip in the attempt did she realise that she was laying on a bed of ice. She frowned slightly. No wonder the cellar was feeling so cool even with all these people packed in it, she thought.

 

"Where's Toa and Tellis?" she asked Renn. "I was just with them."

[Rogue Nine]

Tellis leaned against the front doorpost, her keen eyes surveying the damage the bone dragon had wreaked upon the town square. Most of the buildings were in shambles, there were large craters in the ground from the energy blasts and the dragon's corpse was lying right in the middle, a smoking, messy heap.

 

Toa appeared beside her, a wide bandage across his chest. Tellis glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "Well pyromancer, that was certainly exciting. Don't you agree?"

[Rexraptor2000]

"Well pyromancer, that was certainly exciting. Don't you agree?"

 

"Well, I honestly wouldn't know, though I can tell it was from that fact that there's not much left of the square. I got my heart nearly chopped into pieces by that thing, and I played a game of Skeleton with the former Grim Reaper." Toa said, sounding a little disappointed at missing the battle. He winced when he took a breath of air, the pain in his chest spiking every time he did.

 

Toa's flame dragon dissipated into a cloud of steam, melding with the icy rain that continued to fall. The body of the bone dragon had a similar effect, only it simply fell apart, the thing that held all the bones together now gone.

 

"I'm surprised you weren't out there though. I mean, with all this water, you could have just frozen it into a block of ice." Toa said letting out a chuckle at the thought.

[Rogue Nine]

Tellis pulled her dark hair back and wrung the excess water out of it. "Well, I'm first and foremost a healer," she replied quietly. "And I wasn't about to let an injured person just lie there dying." She turned her head and looked at Toa directly. "Besides, I don't like utilizing my other...skills all that often. Looks like our warriors had the situation handled, though."

[3yks]

Kai reached up and flipped his eye patch back into place, turning and looking at the others. The pyromancer and the healer standing by the back door of the tavern, Kyo, the ranger and Akira standing togethor watching the bone dragon simply fade away. Kai walked toward them, looking at Kyo.

 

"I see that the fun has already began." He clapped the warrior on the shoulder, "I don't usually let my soul out," He murmured, turning and looking around at the devestation. He closed his eye for a moment, and when he opened it again was grinning faintly. "Kai did not like how this dragon did not get hurt by Kai's soul fists, but Kai is glad that this dragon is no more."

[JasraLantill]

“Tellis? She went back upstairs to get that 'mancer, but she never came back,” Renn said to Aya as she was rising to stand. He looked warily up the stairs that led up to the kitchen. “It is awfully quiet up there now.”

 

Aya nodded in agreement, her eyes also focused on the stairs. “I suppose someone should go and check to see if it’s alright to come out,” she suggested.

 

The room went suddenly silent. Hearing Renn clear his throat, Aya turned to face him—and all of the other people stuffed in the cellar. They were all staring at her.

 

Aya raised her brows. Since she had made the suggestion, it was obvious that she had just been silently nominated to do the deed. “O-kaaay…. I guess I’ll go up and see if it’s alright to come out." She sighed, then slowly started up the stairs.

 

She hesitated for a few seconds at the top of the staircase, pressing her ear against the door to see if she could discern what was going on on the other side. She heard Tellis’ speaking to another familiar voice….

 

She flung the door wide open.

 

“Toa!” The pyromancer was on his feet--a bandage was still wrapped around his chest, but nonetheless he was standing in the doorway talking to Tellis and looking himself again. Aya ran forward. “You’re alright!” She went to hug him, but then thought better of it as his chest was still bandaged and she didn't want to hurt him. So, instead, she kissed him on the cheek.

 

And then, to Tellis’ surprise, Aya kissed her on the cheek as well. “Thanks, Tellis. I knew you could do something for him.” Then, suddenly, she frowned with confusion. She remembered that she had done something for Toa, too, but strangely now she couldn’t quite remember what it was. She shook her head, dismissing it from her thoughts.

 

“So,” Aya said, as she peered between the two of them in the doorway so that she could see outside. “Is it de…?” Her mouth dropped. Even in the dark, the destruction and devastation of what once used to be the centre of commerce in Ryuu-Tokai was blatantly apparent. Piles of smoking rubble were everywhere. Some buildings had missing roofs, missing walls, or were just missing entirely. It was worse than anything Aya had ever seen—except maybe the destruction left by a tornado, but they only happened down south in the rainy season.

 

Also obvious was the cause and the cure of the recent chaos--a heap of smoking dragon bones in the square slowly dissolving under the cold rain, and the warriors Kyo, Kai, Carwyn, Akira and Katsuro all standing around watching it disappear. “Good grief… what a mess!” she exclaimed to Tellis and Toa. "It's a miracle more people didn't get hurt!"

 

She looked over her shoulder then towards the cellar door. Renn was hollering up, asking Aya if it was alright for the people to come out. She looked askance at Tellis. “You’re the local here. If the townspeople see all of this destruction, will they be grateful to those who killed the dragon, or try to blame them for attracting it here?”

[Master_Archon]

((Blast it! Blast IT!! BLAST IT!!! I missed the fight!....Ah well, I guess that's what I get for becoming too busy to get on. ))

 

The old man had stood throughout the entire battle in one position the whole time. Not moving once, though the dragon had come close several times, he neither flinched nor blinked. It wasn't that he was fearless, stupid, or oblivious, but he did not care if he died, nor did he see the dragon as a threat to himself, considering it was fairly easy to predict, even in it's chaotic rampage of the town.

 

Only once did he truly, 'move' throughout the mayhem. He had chuckled, and a broad smile came upon his face when he detected something occuring in the inn.

 

The old fellow walked up behind the group, though he stayed a short distance away, he knew his presence would only cause them discomfort, atleast until they knew him.

 

"Well, no one cares about the old man standing in the middle of the courtyard?" He rambled to himself. "Almost got my head taken off...several times," he muttered, and though he seemed to be compalaining, if you looked at him you wouldn't believe he was. He had a, 'teddy bear' smile on his face, warm, kind, and friendly, and as he went on, he would chuckle to himself between sentences.

 

After awhile he grew quiet, though his smile was still there, and he kept chuckling to himself every once in awhile, shaking his head as he thought to himself, and listened to the group chat amonst themselves.

[Rexraptor2000]

Toa was surprised by Aya’s kiss, and then winced at Aya’s question to Tellis. Chances were that though the mighty warriors would be honored, the evil ‘macers would be prosecuted. To be more specific, the Pyromacer at the battle who was unable to stop the destruction of their beloved square and festivals. Pyromacers were not as welcomed out here as in the west.

 

Oddly enough, he could practically feel a moment’s confusion she was feeling after she had said her thanks to Tellis for helping him. This new bond feeling he felt was strange.

 

“I think that they’ll get all the praise in the world.” Toa replied to Aya’s question smiling, although was a bit nervous. Then as he was about to say something else, his stomach growled audibly and he gave a sheepish grin.

 

“I haven’t eaten all day. Do either of you cook?”

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo winced very faintly as Kai came up behind him, clapping him on his hurt shoulder. He shrugged a bit with his right shoulder, watching the large bones of the dragon seemingly melt in the rain. Bit by bit, the skeleton lost its shape, and instead of a full rib cage and wings, the dragon was now comprised of a few piles of giant bones. Shaking his head slowly, Kyo tossed his wet bangs out of his eyes.

 

"I'm glad as well." the swordsman turned to examine the ruined landscape, "Hell only knows what would have happened if we hadn't been here, or if Miss Aya hadn't had a vial of Dragon's Blood. That's the reason that you couldn't injure it - it had some sort of dark magic that allowed it to regenerate after being wounded. The Dragon's Blood impeeded that ability."

 

Grabbing a peice of cloth that had fallen from a shreded awning, he quickly wiped the remnants of the Dragon's Blood from his sword before sheathing it, knowing he would have time to give it a proper cleaning later. For now, it would be best for them to get out of the rain.

 

"We should go." he told the others, and turned back towards the inn.

[Jason Skywalker]

"Sure. I need a bath anyways. I think we all need, maybe. Just sure about me. I stink," Akira said, entering the inn.

 

Well, that's a flare less for Aya, He thought. Akira immediately went upstairs, put his things on his room and went back downstairs.

 

"Renn my good man," He started, "What do we need to get a bath here?"

[JasraLantill]

“I think that they’ll get all the praise in the world.” Toa replied to Aya’s question smiling, although was a bit nervous. Then as he was about to say something else, his stomach growled audibly and he gave a sheepish grin.

 

“I haven’t eaten all day. Do either of you cook?”

 

Aya grinned. "Yes," she answered, "but I know someone who can cook better than I can." She went back over to the entrance to the cellar and called down to Renn to come up. After a few hushed words between them, Renn nodded, then went back to fetch up the rest of the people.

 

Aya returned to her friends, grinning. She motioned the pair over to a nearby table. "As soon as the others get here, we're getting a hero's feast," she announced to them. "That should calm any tension in the townspeople, for the present, as well as fill everyone's bellies."

 

In a few moments, people were once more populating the inn, although there weren't as many as before as a good deal of them had left to survey the damage outside. Aya saw Akira enter and go to his room, returning a short while later and asking Renn what he had to do to get a bath.

 

Renn, who was serving Aya, Tellis, and Toa some drinks, looked over to the fireplace. The fire was still burning bright. "There's a room with a bath just down the hall from your room," he answered Akira. "Just turn the lever on the left for hot water, the lever on the right for cold. Be careful though. Hot water comes out of the tank behind the chimney so it'll be boiling."

 

Aya sighed. "Mmm, a hot bath sounds nice," she commented as she shivered slightly from wearing damp clothes.

 

"Well, there's a bath down the hall from your room, too, 'member," said Renn. He scratched his chin. "Though I'd better stoke the fire if we're going to have a run on the hot water," he mumbled as he left their table.

[Jason Skywalker]

"Thanks Renn," He said, going upstairs, turning around, giving a small wink to Aya, for no particular reason, and left for the bath.

 

"After a hot bath, a good meal should be great."

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn entered the inn, his appearance somewhat bedraggled from fighting out in the rain. His expression was one of concern, but it quickly dissipated into one of relief when he saw Toa, Tellis and Aya sitting and drinking. Picking his way over to their table, he dropped his bows and the canvas bag of arrows and slumped into a chair. Looking around the table tiredly, he addressed Toa as the pyromancer was taking a sip of his drink. "Looks like Tellis got you patched up pretty well there, Toa. Good thing too, because you looked right out of it."

 

"I actually did very little," Tellis stated, the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

 

Carwyn looked confused. "Toa looked nearly dead and you're telling me you hardly did anything?"

 

Tellis merely nodded.

 

The ranger exhaled. "I must still be drunk and lying in a pool of my own vomit somewhere," he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

[Rexraptor2000]

"I actually did very little," Tellis stated, the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

 

Carwyn looked confused. "Toa looked nearly dead and you're telling me you hardly did anything?"

 

Tellis merely nodded.

 

The ranger exhaled. "I must still be drunk and lying in a pool of my own vomit somewhere," he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

 

"You didn't do anything? Then who did?" Toa asked, and then remembering Aya lying unconscious next to him when he woke up, he asked "And why was Aya unconscious next to me?"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Because the old woman was right." Kyo said, listening into the conversation from where he stood near the fire, leaning against the mantel above it. He turned from his examination of the flames to look at the others.

 

"Tellis," he looked to the healer, "Did Miss Aya touch Toa at all, after he had fallen unconcious? I don't mean a quick prod or poke - it had to be prolonged contact."

[JasraLantill]

Aya snorted at Kyo's remark. "You're just being silly, Kyo. Toa was bleeding, and I probably just fainted again," she said lightly. "And Tellis here is just being modest. I mean, that bandage," she pointed to Toa's chest, "didn't get there on its own, now did it? And who stopped his bleeding? It certainly wasn't me. Tellis did all that."

 

Aya took a sip of...water? She frowned a bit, expecting light ale in her cup, but she supposed that she'd probably had enough ale for the night.

 

"Although," she continued tentatively, "I think I did do something, but... I can't for the life of me remember what it was now." She snorted dismissively. "Must have not been very important. I probably just held your hand before I fainted, Toa," she guessed. "Gave Tellis two patients instead of just the one." She gave Tellis an apologetic grin. "Sorry."

 

Truth was, Aya really didn't remember what she had done. She remembered being next to the injured Toa and watching the blood ooze from his wound, and she remembered waking up on ice in the cellar with Renn standing over her--but everything that had happened in between that was just a non-memory. All she knew now was that she felt very tired, slightly hungry, definitely cold and wet, but all in all glad that the Bone Dragon was gone and that everyone was safe and well again.

 

She looked toward the window. The cold rain was still falling, but it was tapering off. "Sure hope it stops raining. It's no fun travelling north when it's wet."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"The bit about the bandage is true," Kyo admitted, shrugging, "But whatever contact you might have had with Toa could be quite important indeed. Imperativly so."

 

He frowned faintly and looked out the window, watching the sheeting rain. "I think some sort of dark magic has been ressurrected, here...and if I'm right, then I think Toa can back me up on this." he looked at the pyromacer. "Can you remember anything from when you were unconcious? Any sort of strange dreams?"

[Rexraptor2000]

"Let's see, I met the former Grim Reaper, Jack, who had to retire to sign everyone off to the Heavens or the Underworld when wars started happening (The Angel of Death took his place in delivering the souls), and he said something about the high ones not being pleased with what had happened and that they did not know about the dragon. In other words, I was 'dead' because the tail pierced my heart and someone wasn't happy about it. He couldn't send me back to the land of the living because they wanted me alive however, so I had to beat him at the Skeleton Game. By the way, you have no idea how many bones are in the body. I could barely keep up."

 

"To make things less comfortable, my dragon could not be called off. Since I could not use my physical strength to fuel it as I was 'dead', it was using my soul. Not good when you're playing a long game. And then I see something horrifying, although I don't remember it because Jack removed it from my mind, and it leaves me even more distressed. I beat him, but by that time the only real part of my soul left is parts of my face and torso. I collapse, but then wake up a bit later to find Jack standing over me with a grin on his face, a white door that had appeared out of nowhere, and my soul at full health, although I didn't actually look at it to see if it was intact. I just knew."

 

"I walk through the door and end up here and alive again. Alive, as in being cut up, dripping wet, being turned into an ice cube, and my lips feeling like fire, which was the only pleasant experience since I like fire. Oh, and every time I breath I feel a bit of a pain in my lungs, so that's not so pleasant."

 

Toa took a deep breath after his long-winded explanation, and then waited for their response.

[Rogue Nine]

"I tended Toa's wounds and bandaged him, yes," Tellis said, addressing the table. "But I did very little in terms of reviving him and restoring his breathing. Aya's kiss took care of those things." Tellis hid her smirk behind her glass of water as the entire table turned to look at Aya.

 

"You did what?" Carwyn asked Aya, incredulous.

[JasraLantill]

Aya's eyes widened to the point that her soft brown eyes were rimmed with white. "I... I... I...?" she stuttered, then her mouth hung open in shock. "I kissed you?" she finally said to Toa. She shook her head. "I mean, yeah I kissed you on the cheek a few minutes ago. Tellis, too, but just because I was happy to see you both alive and well. But I don't remember kissing you before that. Certainly not 'reviving' you."

 

She frowned, thinking hard. "I remember seeing Toa hurt, and holding his head in my hands, and watching the..." She swallowed hard. "...the blood ooze from his chest, and then... then...." She blinked and her brow crinkled as she tried to recall what happened, then she let out a frustrated sigh. "And then I woke up in the cellar on an ice slab with Renn standing over me." Her mouth twisted with uncertainty. "Which felt oddly nice because at the time I felt really...warm...," her voice trailed off.

 

She looked at Carwyn, and then the others in turn. They were still staring at her. "What?!" she asked incredulously. "That's what I remember. No 'kisses' were involved, and certainly no firey reviving ones." She looked again at Carwyn. "Oh, please, do you honestly think I would kiss Toa before you?"

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn had been ready with a skeptical reply to Aya's reasoning when she asked, "Oh, please, do you honestly think I would kiss Toa before you?" This took him aback, to the point where he sat there with his mouth open, ready to reply, but nothing came out.

 

Did she just say what I think she said? he asked himself. Get a grip, Carwyn. You have been drinking tonight. This could all just be one hellacious hallucination. Closing his mouth, he attempted to compose himself as he realized that his ears were burning, a sure sign that he was embarassed. He looked into Aya's wide eyes and decided he didn't really have a better response than the one that had come to his mind as soon as she'd asked her rhetorical question. "I don't know. Would you?"

[Rexraptor2000]

"Aya's right, I mean, who would want to kiss my ugly mug? Well, the lips on my mug since it's apparent that cheeks don't count." Toa laughing, as he couldn't help himself. Although Toa was a bit suspicious of what had gone on while he was asleep, he had a hard time believing that anyone would kiss him after just three days. Also the fact that a kiss itself would heal his soul was just plain silly, since souls couldn't be revived. You had to share souls. The only ones who could do that were Sprites (Spirit Elementalists), and there hadn't been one since the time of Obakenare. His whole 'death' experience could have all been just a dream for all he knew.

 

Then Toa said "Also, you just stuck your foot in your mouth again Aya. But I understand what you mean."