??? Arc - Tome I: Groom

Much had occurred within the last few months. Much traveling had been done. Many changes had occurred within myself and my surroundings. I had found Jin once again and while as a boy, I had truly disliked Battousai, now I find that he is my most valued ally and I have elected to serve his ambitions as a sort of strategist and operative. I have established the foundation for an ever expanding operative network that is currently focused in the coastal and southeastern regions of the realm as well as the Village of the Sun. In fact, one could say that so much has happened that I have even forgotten all about the pouch that rests next to the bed that I find myself currently laying in. The pouch that was given to me several moons ago when I first met Yuki and we captured that Order of Chaos acolyte as a manipulated mission for the Moon Witch, whom I affectionately refer to as the Old Hag. She had spoken to me in a language that I did not and do not understand and told me that the contents of the pouch would lead me to where I needed to go. I don't quite know if she knew what she was talking about because they lead me here to Vilis within the Medius territories. I'm not sure why I am here as I rarely ever travel to these parts. Roaming around though, I came upon this old building where some adventurers had gathered and they were planning to make an expedition into the Core District. They seemed to be well prepared and well equipped to handle anything that might come their way, but gear and equipment readiness is but a small part of the equation, the most important factor could not be seen until we were in the thick of things and that is whether or not they have the courage to face the horrors that awaited us.

EXP: 349

*Note* Posted on 9-28-11, place holder was made on date stamp.

My body shifts to the left before I turn back to the right. I grumble for a moment before my torso bends at the waist and I move out of the bed to the pouch. I sit on the floor and activate the lantern in the room. Revealing all of the contents of the pouch. I analyze them once again to see if there is something that I am missing that might further aid me in discovering what I am supposed to do here. There is a vial of liquid and this is the one that she told me I would need to consume in order to become what I am to become. Even now, I still have no clue what that means, but as I sit here on the cold wooden floor in the dimly lit room utilizing my enhanced vision to examine things, I begin to wonder if there is anything in here at all. My curiosity about the contents of the vial begins to escalate as well and I remove the "cork" on the vial and smell the liquid within. The smell rushes thru my nostrils causing me to gasp and move my head away quickly. Wow! That is truly a strong scent there. I put the cork back in place and set the vial back down. My right hand raises to my head as my forehead falls into it. I had quickly come to feel a bit lightheaded in all of that so I figure that I should relax for a bit to try and gather my bearings.

Everything fades into darkness within fifteen seconds and my body feels like it is going limp...

EXP: 276+349

Location: H13

I open my eyes and it is still night time...

There is a fire in the center of a gathering of humanoids and beasts. One of the male humans looks at one of the beasts and speaks, "Master, we must get you and the others out of here. The situation is grim and the village might fall." A large tiger with two large fangs protruding from its mouth speaks with a powerful voice, "Continue with the ritual. Our warriors are strong and devout and while the enemy is numerous, they lack discipline and skill. They are brutes and little more. The egg must be protected and be allowed to manifest." The male nods while the sounds of battle and clashing is heard in the distance. Chanting resumes while items are prepared by the collection of humanoids and non-humanoids. Looking around, I notice that I seem to be in a temple of some sorts. Projecting myself into the air places in the middle of a defensive perimeter ring of avian creatures guarding this ritual below while the distance shows a vicious battle being waged on two fronts within the forested area with a small body of water protecting the northern edge of the walled village. I seem to be enjoying the battle. The ritual continues below my position, but I ignore that for now. None of them really stand out to me except for the tiger. He seems rather powerful and respectable. He is not on the front lines fighting in the fray though. A great general should always lead their warriors into battle. Even if they must fall back at some point to oversee the battle, their initial position should be at the vanguard of the assault.

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As this ritual continues, I begin to feel a pull at my core. It is as if I am losing my ability to function and watch things on my own. I do not like this at all. Soon, I am once again in the midst of the gathering. They are all looking at me. I seem to move further away from them and inside of myself as a voice speaks from my position, but it is certainly not me as the voice does not even sound male or human for that matter. "Why have I been summoned here?" The male kneels before me and all of the other humanoids do the same. There is a female warrior moving towards the gathering with much haste ignorant to the fact that I am now present. The male human speaks, "We are in dire need of your help, Great Spirit. We have made the recorded sacrifices and now we call upon you to aid us in our plight against the dark forces that assail our village." The mysterious voice inquires, "And this village is my concern, why?" The tiger steps forward and speaks, "The markings state that you serve HIM and they are his devoted acolytes. He wants them protected and so they were given the means to call you forth from your place of meditation."

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The Voice's attention turns to the tiger and the tiger takes a step back as the inferno that houses the Voice and currently myself rages wilder. The winds around the gathering pick up stronger knocking around some of the beings gathered until the woman warrior rushes forward.

She aids the human male before placing her spear at the inferno's "base" and kneeling before it even tho the heat begins to burn her. She grits it out and remains. The male rushes forward and moves the female warrior out of the way and gets trapped in her place. His robes catch fire and accepting the possibility of death, he faces the inferno face to face. "Please help us. Do not destroy us and do not let the darkness consume our village. You possess the power to stop this. Tell me what I must do to earn your aid."

The Inferno was beginning to burn the surrounding areas of the village in her anger, but holds back. The size of the Inferno lessens before a gust of wind sweeps into the area and the Voice speaks, "My aid requires a grave sacrifice that you, human, cannot withstand. You would die and so would she."

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The male responds, "It does not matter so long as our people are safe, Great Spirit. I will gladly give up my life for those I have sworn to guide and protect." The female still wounded joins the male at his side and speaks, "My husband speaks for both of us. The lives of many are far more important than just ours. We accept." The Voice adds while addressing the female, "You will carry out one additional task. Your sacrifice will create life. A life to continue your fight long after you are gone." That news only sweeten the deal for the humans. Again, they accept and the Inferno "looks at them". Her voice speaks directly into their minds, "You will not be present to provide for this life or to guide this life and I am neither of order nor chaos, so the path of this life could fall to good or to evil. It will be powerful and as such, you would be responsible for bringing forth either a great light or a great darkness upon this realm. Do you still wish to continue so nonchalantly?" They pause for a moment and look at the tiger now understanding what was truly at stake. The tiger tells them that he cannot make this decision for them as this would be their child to serve as vessel for the Great Spirit. They look at the Inferno and the female warrior nods in agreement. "You are not malevolent and we serve the light, Great Spirit. The life we are to create for you will serve the light as well. Even if the child must battle through the darkness to do so. Our life force is yours." The male acolyte does not object and both of them drop into a full bow. The tiger exhales and nods to them. One could tell that he would've approved either way they decided, but in this instance, the Inferno had the deal that was requested, so the village would receive its aid.

EXP: 360/1761

The Inferno radiates an immense amount of heat and light as it lifts into the sky and looks at the "avian spirits" in the sky. She calls out to them with a loud crow and they nod respectfully almost as if they know who or what she is. Their bodies begin to glow and they start harnessing energy from the Inferno. She crows once more and they all vanish from sight. They join the distant fray with great ferocity as they rush forward. The dark creatures facing off against them have no idea what terrible whirlwind had just been unleashed. The talons of the Avians tear thru the flesh of the dark attackers allowing the defending forces to regroup while motivating them to fight harder and stronger. The Inferno is visible in the sky. The enemy is forced to retreat from the battle. The defense rejoices and the Avians regroup around the Inferno. The Inferno lowers back to the ground where the villagers both human and non-humanoid are rejoicing. The Inferno speaks, "Rest for now. We hunt at dawn!" The Avians were ready to go now since they are still feeling the effects of whatever boosting aura had been placed upon them. A breeze blows thru the area carrying a song of sorts with it and the Avians relax and return to normal. The wounded are healed and the surrounding area finds itself being mended back together as well. The Inferno looks at the body of a fallen avian being that had been brought over to be revived but was too far gone. The Inferno envelopes the body of the Avian before being inhaled by the fallen avian. Now the Inferno had a form that was easier to interact with.

EXP: 322/2083

After a couple of minutes, the avian breathes once more. Her eyes are glowing red and her wounds all "heal themselves" almost instantly. She looks around at the other avian beings surrounding her and as she rises to her feet, they all kneel around her. The humans look on curiously as they still have no idea what all has transpired or the deal that was struck. The acolytes and mystic animals that were present are simply in a very somber mood despite the victory that they had just secured. The avians ask what they are to call her and she says, "For now, just call me Naraka." I need time to adjust to this vessel. They nod and the group prepares to fly to their area to rest when the acolyte and his wife approach. "Great Spirit, thank you." The winged female turns and looks at them and replies, "You may refer to me as Naraka. Great Spirit is so pretentious. You question the terms of the deal, don't you? You wonder how a being aligned to your master would require your life in exchange for helping his acolytes, yes?" The female looks away as she did not wish to openly question their savior. Naraka smiles and tells them, "I can hear your thoughts by the way. The answer is simple. It is my Master's will and as such I will carry it out without contestation. It is actually an honor you are being afforded. That's the only reason why you were able to bring me forth. I care very little for the affairs of this realm." Naraka looks at the pair and tells them to rest. She does not want them damaging themselves too much. Her body glows for a moment and their burns are healed and their energy is restored. Naraka lifts into the air flanked by four of the avian beings before assigning the other 4 to stay with those two at all times. With a powerful flap of her wings, Naraka flies away.

EXP: 364/2447

She was not joking when she stated that they would hunt at dawn, the militia's most skilled marksmen, hunters, operatives, and other "special forces" type warriors are gathered before dawn. She issues out orders and no one questions them. Her voice provides an enchanting song for the gathered warriors before they are all teleported to their respective staging areas, feeling empowered and honed for battle. She pauses for a moment before entering the Void herself with her avian guard. The camp of the dark forces is caught very much unaware when Naraka leads the raid against them. Instead of a massive volley of arrow fire, the marksmen pick off the sentries in a swift series of shots as the "special forces" teams sneak in. They are given very specific targets to strike and they sweep thru them with fervor and fury. Naraka watches all of the carnage as they do not announce their presence but merely strike and set the camp ablaze to provide additional confusion and chaos within the enemy camp as they assassinate and destroy their targets. Once the enemy had been fully alerted, Naraka lands in the center of the camp and the avians are finally unleashed. They are able to channel greater power in her presence and they lay waste to the opposition. The fires set to the perimeter establishments and tents hinder the ease of escape and retreat. I do not believe the forces knew how successful they would be when the plan was first told to them, but the annihilation that they are able to bring forth to the forces of the dark ones amazes them as they complete the assault and find the enemy broken and in complete disarray. She knew that since they showed very little discipline in the previous battle that without their leaders, they would be extremely easy to destroy. The forces raid their supplies and food stores to replenish their village. The camp's livestock is also taken and their command tents are raided as well. Naraka had secured a victory that would provide both intel for her campaign as well as provisions and a boost to morale for the forces of light.

EXP: 419/2866

The return of the raiding forces heralded a response of both happiness and shock. She did not take the full militia force of the village but rather a small handpick "commando" style force of maybe 28 warriors plus herself and her avian guard. They return covered in blood and the look of ferocious battle. The saber-toothed tiger looks at Naraka and she informs him that the village is safe now. She tells one of her avian guards to bring the acolytes to the temple. The initial threat had been neutralized, so it was time to begin with her master's plan. The open temple is the primary structure within the village hosting multiple mystic altars. The primary altar is one to her master. Next to his altar is the one that holds the prized egg. Naraka spends some time channeling energy into the egg and singing to it. This continues for about 10 minutes or so before the acolytes arrive. She senses them before they even arrive and she asks them if they are ready. They nod to each other and she tells them to place their hands on the egg. They obey and as soon as they touch the egg, they feel a strong pull towards the center of the egg. After a few minutes, they are absorbed into the egg. Naraka envelops the egg in flames as her body sits on top of it. The avians take a protective position around the egg and Naraka, while she remains in her trance. Naraka appears within the egg with the magus and warrior in her inferno form.

EXP: 290/3156

She takes in the life force of the warrior first and the reaction is very violent as the raw energy of the female creates a hunger within the Inferno. As she begins to absorb the power and the life force of the magus, it balances and calms the Inferno, but the hunger seems to intensify and grow slightly out of control. The avians surrounding the egg have their life force siphoned out of them but what is most strange about their absorption is that it turns them into statues with pyres in their hands that burn magically. The Inferno rages wildly outside of the egg and the temple aides and mystics look on with worry. A large burst of energy shoots into the air and comes back down on Naraka's position. A field of energy forms around the egg but still gives off a burning aura though it no longer looks quite like fire. The Inferno continues fighting with the collective energy within the egg until finally, it starts to take form. Something that seems to be unexpected happens as the form splits into two forms. Naraka had not expected the human life force to be as pure or concentrated as it is, which allowed it to create a separate life form within the egg as well as bring forth a new member of her kind as well. The magus and warrior smile as they are able to see the human form take the shape and features of a boy. Meanwhile, the other form appears as an eagle, but distinctly different. Naraka channels energy into the mystic creature and it looks at the human form. There are tribal looking markings appearing all over the boy's form. They absorb into his flesh and vanish. The creature inside the egg with him continues to feed on the energy within the egg. Naraka looks at the being and instills great power within the creature's frame. It grows massive in size before slowly condensing itself and she places the avian being inside of the boy who sprouts wings himself before they too absorb into his back, leaving two markings in their place.

EXP: 396/3552

Naraka kisses the boy on the head. "You are my Kautuka. You must grow to be powerful and respected. Whether you walk the path of light or darkness is up to you, but you must walk a path. When you are stronger, your other half will awaken as well. Then will you find your true path. Your life will be filled with pain and suffering and death. You will endure all of this and more so that you understand and appreciate life and all of its complexities. You will experience want and desire so that you know the importance of duty and the responsibility of power. When you become whole, Kautuka, you will become so much more than either of you can comprehend alone. My child, you must rest and discover and harness your powers. Build them in meditation and when he needs you, awaken..."

I "awaken" inside of the egg and there is a figure in front of me. "Who are you and where am I?" The figure who has distinct avian features blinks at me and shakes his head. "You are weak... too weak to be here, but you seek that which means nothing to us. You seek someone who limited your power and you didn't even notice. That is pathetic. But I figure you will not listen to me, so I might as well let you try to kill yourself first. When you realize your own weakness, I will show you power... the power of our kind. You have seen how we came to be, Kautuka, but you are not ready to understand why we have come to be. Follow the expedition into the Core. Discover the true power of darkness, so that you understand what your enemy is capable of. Go now."

EXP: 313/3865

- END TOME I -

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