Girana Spiritflower
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Yggdrasil
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
Gender: Female
Magic: Gaia & Elemental Dance
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Post by Girana Spiritflower on Feb 12, 2016 2:08:09 GMT
Deep in one of the largest forests of Fiore a rather small figure was walking amongst the trees, humming to herself. She wasn't as small as a dwarf, a gnome, or some other supernatural creature whose main defining trait was their lack of stature. She was small like some people are just, when you get right down to it, short. Some men turned into giant bears as they grey up, imposing and taking up a lot of space. Some women turned into figures of great maternity and fertility, with strong builds and round curves. But some men never really stopped looking like boys until the wrinkles began to show themselves, at which point they passed from boy to small old man very quickly. Some women always remained girls, petite and lithe. They could still be cute, in fact they could be much cuter than the ones that developed that famous hourglass figure, but they would never be quite as stunning and breathtaking.
This girl was one of the latter. Well, she wasn't just a kid: she wasn't without curves entirely. But she was definitely short, and she was definitely more cute than stunning. She also quite clearly wasn't human, and only the most oblivious wouldn't pick up on that. The tail of a wolf, furry pointy ears, green hair which looked like thick foliage, and if that wasn't enough one could also pay attention to the fact that the dress that she was wearing appeared to be made out of leafs rather than any kind of cloth, wool, or other materials used by humans when they needed to cover themselves. How she had ever managed to make leafs function as good material for a dress would be a question for the ages. Unless of course somebody bothered to ask her, in which case she'd explain. Whether any human or humanoid would be able to understand the explanation was another question entirely.
Humming a strange tune not known to any mortal Girana wandered through the forest, feeling the wind whistling through the trees, also rustling the leafs of her dress and brushing against her skin. It was a nice day, as it usually was for her since she pretty much loved any weather which wasn't winter, but today was also more universally a nice day, since there was a bright sun, plenty of warmth, enough clouds to promise rain later on in the day, and a refreshing breeze that mixed well with the rays of the sun to provide plenty of warmth without it becoming troublesome or tiring. Days like these were days that Girana was willing to do pretty much anything, as her cheerful mood would not be deterred or soured by anything. It was simply impossible for anything short of a natural disaster to get in her way.
And even if a natural disaster occurred it most likely wouldn't manage that, as Girana and her guardian spirit wouldn't allow it to actually cause any harm. Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, all of those would be placated and deftly dissolved so the plants and the animals wouldn't be wiped out. Some people might argue that such disasters were part of nature, and that getting rid of them was just hindering the ecosystem. Girana would point out that a disaster of sufficient size could permanently destroy an ecosystem, which could never be considered a good thing, and even if natural disasters were natural there was nothing wrong with her helping the creatures of this place get a break. If disasters were a part of nature they could come after Girana had travelled to the next place, not while she was there enjoying the water.
Of course, life wasn't without worries. Finding a large boulder in the middle of a clearing Girana lay down on top of it, bathing in the sunlight as she smiled. It was a nice day. However she had to discuss some less pleasant things with her eternal companion and friend.
"Wolfy?"
Around her the wind swirled for a moment before the air turned orange as her friend, the guardian spirit who had decided to follow her for as long as she lived, deigned to show his spirit form. As always, a translucent dragon with green eyes, the body looking like it was made from orange flames. The eyes without pupils or sclera, but still Girana knew that he was looking at her as he slowly flew circles around her body, leaving a trail of ghostly orange flames that faded away rather quickly. As always he was a bit guarded, watching their surroundings as if fearing that a bear or something else might jump out and try to do something to the dryad who was sunbathing.
"Yes Leafy?"
They had been together for so long at this point that they used those endearing nicknames as naturally as if those were their actual names. They had been together for so long that a mortal most likely would not be able to even imagine it, and being together for so long meant that there was pretty much no secrets between them, and they had no reason to be embarrassed about anything in front of the other. This was helped by the fact that Girana willingly allowed Ryu to live inside her body which meant he was always present when she was naked. After a while that stopped being an issue. And since Ryu was a spirit...well...that wasn't really a problem either.
Girana sighed as she opened her eyes, looking up at the blue skies dotted with clouds which were white on top but dark grey on the underside. The rain would probably begin falling quite soon. Good. The plants around here could use the extra water, and she would enjoy feeling the cool raindrops on her skin. Her bare feet would get muddy, but since they were already earthy it wasn't like that was much of an issue either. If only she didn't have to worry about all those other things.
"I wish I didn't have to learn about what the humans had done to the Great Mother. Her body should never have been found by anybody, safely stored away so only people like us could find it and pay our respects. If I knew that the first human to find the Great Mother would do such things to her remains I would have gone and made sure that her body would never be found myself. And now it's too late..."
She sighed again, ignoring the fact that around the boulder that she was lying on the plants were growing at a fast pace, and there was already moss and vines beginning to cover the boulder itself. That would always happen, and she couldn't stop it. Not that she wanted. She liked being surrounded by life. Her friend, the ethereal fire dragon, also sighed, a deep rumbling sound, before replying, sounding rather agitated and annoyed rather than the sheer resignation and sadness that Girana had allowed to slip into her voice.
"There is a reason why I think badly of the mortal species that manage to become self-aware. You might say that because they realize their mortality they become more energetic and lively while they last, but I just seem them becoming greedy, envious, and disrespectful. Whoever it was that had found the Great Mother's remains most likely never even thought of letting her rest. They just saw an opportunity to advance their own needs and didn't think about the consequences. Now we have to deal with it. And we can't even get rid of the consequences, since it's not their fault that they were created. Let's just hope that we can find them all and ensure that they'll be respecting the Great Mother's wishes. That and figure out where the remains ended up so we can hide them properly this time."
"The problem isn't even those children or that the Great Mother's body was made use of like that. Wolfy, I can feel that something bad is going to happen soon. The land is fearful. The eager mortals are planning something, and they are amassing enough power that they could permanently injure the land."
The ethereal dragon curled up around Girana, nuzzling her to comfort her even though she would nothing but the warmth. Although that in itself was already plenty of comfort.
"Then we'll have to make sure they don't do that. You've got me, and while you're not as ferocious as I can be I know that if it's to defend what is important you'll be able to keep everything that you want to protect safe. I'll always be here to help you, so if you think that we need to interfere I'll follow you to wherever you think we should go. It has been ages since we showed ourselves in the open, but if the land itself is afraid of what might happen it might be time for us to stop hiding."
Girana smiled and nodded. As always, Ryu managed to calm her down and make her feel more confident about what the future should be like. If the humans and their allies were planning to do something which could actually damage nature on a grand scale she would have to stop them. It was actually pretty simple, or at least straightforward. And Ryu would help her, which meant that unless the humans had something really special up their sleeves the two of them should be able to do what they had to do. Jumping off of the now overgrown boulder Girana resumed her wandering, although this time with a purpose. She would go where the land told her that the danger was, and she would make sure that the danger would go away. The ethereal dragon, her guardian spirit, swirled around her for a while before retreating back inside her, once again showing no sign of his presence. The only one who knew that he was there was Girana, and for her he was like the fire of a hearth, warm and comforting, making her feel safe and energized.
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Vierra
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Administrator
Posts: 89
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Gender: Female
Magic: Arcane Body Magic
Position: Eclipse Soul Lurker
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Post by Vierra on Feb 26, 2016 19:21:33 GMT
Kish! Kish! Bzzrt! A portal opens below the elemental's path. Through the smaller sample of the the chaotic zone of the Arcane realm the elemental went. Soon a portal opened on the other side putting her on the ground BEHIND the boulder. Tack, tack. The sound of boots hitting rock could be heard. Vierra dusted herself off then cracked a couple of knuckles and her neck. She snapped her fingers and the portal closed. "Why did you do that?" She asked the girl. She leaned back and cracked her back. "Wait a second, why does cracking my back feel so good?" She shrugged her shoulders. Then peered over the edge of the boulder. She thought for a moment. "What does one say when meeting a stranger?" She looked at her left hand and then ripped the glove off. One could here incoherent mumbling as Vierra struggled to read the words that were in smudged ink on her hand. "I don't know why books always put down use your hand if you need to remember something."
Vierra sighed and then jumped off the boulder flipping over the elemental and then landing down on the ground gracefully, softly, and quietly in front of the girl. "Hell yeah, my narm is Vierra." The woman's eyes showed no emotion what so ever. She was still a blank slate in her mind. "Excuse me.. Hello my name is Vierra." She placed both of her hands on the sides of her hood and then pulled it back. She revealed her pale face and green eyes. Vierra's hair was braided up on the sides. Vierra replaced the glove and then turned her eye on the elemental. Do you want her to help out? She thought.
Yes, she will be perfect to cage them. A reply could be heard in her head.
"I'm not here to fight," Vierra said. She still had a plain voice. "I'm here, because HE sent me to you. Which means you can help HIM." She looked at the elemental. "I hope the teleport didn't hurt you. It's not really teleporting as it is tearing holes into the fabric of logic to get to the Arcane Realm." She walked towards her and held a hand out. "What's your name?"
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Girana Spiritflower
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Yggdrasil
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
Gender: Female
Magic: Gaia & Elemental Dance
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Post by Girana Spiritflower on Mar 1, 2016 3:05:18 GMT
There was no warning given to the dryad, no way to prepare. One moment she was walking across the clearing, back into the darker parts of the forest, and the next she felt herself falling, and even before she could finish gasping she was already back on the ground, stumbling as she nearly fell before managing to catch herself and standing upright. She breathed deeply as she looked around, trying to figure out what just happened. What had just happened? She couldn't really tell. She had been walking, and then she was falling through a place which didn't seem to be an actual place: there was no semblance of order anywhere. No land, no sky, no structures. It was a place made out of everything and nothing. At least, that's what it had looked like to her eyes, and her vision had been blurred as she fell, and before she could focus she had already left that place. As for her current position... She looked around, and was pretty sure that she was in exactly the same location as she had been before that strange thing had happened. She recognized the trees, the ground, and the boulder that she had been lying on. The only difference was that she was now standing on the other side of the boulder, in front of it. And she couldn't figure out how or why.
Of course, just because Girana hadn't been able to react didn't mean that her guardian spirit had been struck by the same burst of surprise. Well, he was also surprised, but he reacted a lot better to it than she did. The moment that Girana began falling he was already recovering from the shock, and since he could recover quite fast he had already wrapped Girana in a layer of green flames that would protect her should anything try to attack her. The green flames were merely warm and comforting to Girana, but should anything else get too close they would learn that these flames burned with a lot more ferocity and destructive potential than the usual flames. In fact even metal and stone would find itself hard pressed to reach Girana through those flames, especially if Ryu managed to notice the projectile and could focus on it, destroying it to protect the dryad who served as his closest companion and friend for many years in the past and would remain that way for many, many years in the future.
Once they landed Ryu quickly scanned their surroundings, just like Girana concluding that they were back at the boulder. He had been able to catch a better view of the place they had been before they ended up here, and also of the method used to get them here. Somebody or something had created a portal underneath Girana's feet, and had used it to bring her to a realm which most certainly wasn't part of this material plane only to then create another portal in that realm that would lead to here. The fact that rifts had been used indicated that whatever or whoever it was that had relocated them did not possess the more straightforward methods of teleportation, warping or portals. Well, technically these were portals, but they were called rifts since they most likely could only be used from and to that chaotic realm, which meant they were more limited than a portal which could directly link startpoint and destination. However being able to create rifts was in itself also a sign of potential danger: rifts which could actually be used on others who didn't originate from that realm was usually reserved to people with a very close connection to that realm, and it was rare that such a connection wasn't accompanied by plenty of ability and power.
The only thing that had changed in the clearing beyond their relocation was that there was now somebody else in it. Somebody who immediately gained all of Ryu's attention since they were the most likely to be responsible for suddenly creating those rifts. From what he could tell they were female, possessed some strange kind of magic, and...something weird was going on with their soul. It would most likely not be detectable by most people, at least those from the material plane. But Ryu was a guardian spirit. For him spirits and souls were the same as bodies were for the average human. That is, seeing, observing, and inspecting them is as easy as breathing if you have them in front of you. This woman's soul felt rather...flat. Not exactly flat. A soul that only recently came to exist tended to be extremely messy and energetic. Emotions ruled and tended to flash up and die out again, constantly changing. As the soul got older they usually would become more solid, as the being solidified itself (became an actual individual and unique existence) but it would also become detailed. Ryu would liken it to how a young tree which was constantly growing in all directions turned into an old tree, encompassed by bark filled with grooves and lines.
This person's soul felt like it lacked detail. It wasn't turbulent and messy like a young soul. It wasn't complex and well-worn like an old soul. It was a soul which had clearly matured beyond being dominated by strong emotions, but it was a lot more simplistic than a soul of that maturity should be. A person with a rather plain soul... To Ryu that sounded like either something was broken or wrong, or that person was just really, really boring. In this case he was going with something being wrong. The green flames stayed wrapped around Girana, protecting her against this new presence. The guardian spirit wasn't sure what the woman exactly was or what she wanted, but if she wanted to do anything to his dryad she would find that she had picked the wrong target.
As for Girana, once she had recovered from the initual shock and had figured out where she was she looked towards the woman as well, although she was more confused and curious than wary and suspicious like the guardian spirit who dwelled within her. She wasn't really surprised at the green flames: she knew better than anybody else ever could hope to know that Ryu wouldn't listen to her if she tried to tell him that she was fine and didn't need the protection. Whenever the possibility came up that she might be in danger her ancient companion would immediately refuse to listen to any requests or commands which would leave her exposed. On one hand, it was somewhat annoying to have a guardian who when danger showed itself would make it clear he trusted his own judgement better than Girana's. On the other, she had to concede that he did probably know better. That, and it felt rather comforting to be protected so devoutedly and lovingly. Thanks to Ryu she could at least take her time with these things. That alone already made it a lot easier for her not to shoot into a panic. She knew that Ryu was looking out for her, so no matter what happened she would be all right.
However that didn't remove the fact that Girana was quite puzzled, and the question asked by the woman standing on the other side of the boulder didn't make her any less confused. Why did Girana do what? Spread the plantgrowth? She didn't do that on purpose, that just happened wherever she went. This woman might not know though. But that didn't make sense. Girana always did that. Automatically. Without having any say in it. There would be no reason for the woman to ask her that now. Could it be that this place was special? But in that case Ryu wouldn't have allowed her to get close without warning, and he couldn't have missed something. For Girana the concept of Ryu failing in being observant was a near impossibility. The woman's question earned her nothing more than a confused look as the dryad tried to figure out what the woman was talking about. The frown on Girana's face should make it clear that she was trying to think of an answer, but the confusion made it clear she wasn't sure what she what exactly the right answer was, since she didn't understand the question. As she tried to get rid of the confusion Girana stared at the woman, who continued acting in ways that left her more and more puzzled. She acted like she wasn't from this world, the way that she was surprised at the idea of cracking her back feeling good. And not knowing how to meet others (although that could also just be a case of severe isolation). The dryad kept staring, finally speaking up as the woman was staring at her hand.
"I-I believe usually you introduce yourself."
Girana blinked as the woman then jumped over her and the boulder, although she wasn't exactly shocked. She turned to follow the woman's flight as she quickly asked Ryu internally to not burn the woman. Ryu grumbled in the back of her head, but complied and at least kept the green flames restricted to Girana so the strange woman wouldn't find herself jumping into the fire. Literally. He had already stopped the green flames from burning the plantlife around the dryad, so this was only a minor extension of that. For his part he also wasn't sure what they were dealing with, although he was more suspicious than puzzled. The woman was acting abnormal, at least for a human. That made sense, since she had shown the ability to use rifts to a rather unusual realm, and beyond that had a curious soul. She introduced herself twice, once in a very informal way and the second time more like what one could expect from a stranger they encountered on the street. Both Girana and Ryu inspected Vierra's features, although Girana only did so far as necessary to put a face to the name, whereas Ryu used the fact that his attention and inspection couldn't really be picked up on to study her a lot more carefully. Unlike her soul her body didn't look too abnormal.
The woman then tried to reassure Girana. Or did she also know about Ryu? If she had been observing them before using those rifts she knew that Girana had some kind of companion. Although it didn't really matter. Girana was mostly puzzled, and Ryu wouldn't drop his guard just because this stranger told him that she wasn't here to fight. Especially if she followed that statement with ominous talk about a certain male person who apparently needed Girana's (and/or Ryu's) help. Having her call that strange realm the Arcane Realm was a bit of a headscratcher though. Ryu wasn't exactly familiar with the Arcane Realm, but going by what he actually knew he had expected it to be a bit more mystical and a bit less of a pure and utter mess. Something to consider. When Vierra stepped forward to try and offer her hand to Girana she would find that her hand was grabbed by a large claw made out of green flames, which extended from the cloak of flames that covered Girana (specifically, from her arm) and apparently could turn solid enough to accept handshakes. The green flames wouldn't burn Vierra, but their warmth would most likely be uncomfortable. On Girana's shoulder the cloak of flames expanded enough to form a sort of bulge, on which two eyes made out of orange flames formed and stared at Vierra, making the expanded dome of green flames act as a form of head. Girana, realizing that Ryu wanted to take care of this, kept silent for now as he just watched, looking somewhat uncomfortable but also curious.
Vierra would hear a voice which sounded like it was made by a particularly intense fire, crackling, roaring and hissing as it originated from that cloak of green flames. At least, that's where it probably originated from. It came from that direction, and what else would have a voice like that or speak up in this situation?
"We are not harmed, but don't try that again. As for our names, we might give you those. However first we want you to tell us more. You are the one who without permission or warning dared to use magic on one of nature's most precious children. I do hope you have a good explanation for that. If you simply don't realize the lack of respect you showed towards a dryad it would be disappointing. So before we give our names, tell us more about why you did that, what you want, and who that person is who sent you and who we supposedly can help. And before you complain that we aren't being cooperative, if you were a normal human who tried to relocate a dryad without her permission I would already have burned a part of you as incentive not to try that again. Consider it the price you pay for your behaviour."
Ryu knew that a lot of people would find this kind of talk incredibly infuriating, especially since he made it clear that he wasn't going to tell Vierra anything until she had told them more. However that was done intentionally. Infuriated, angered, flustered, annoyed, offended, agitated people were a lot more inclined towards making mistakes. And Ryu wanted her to make mistakes. She might have identified herself as non-hostile, but that didn't remove the fact that she had dropped Girana through a rift into some chaotic realm, back into this place, and then suddenly showed up acting notably strange. That wasn't behaviour that gave Ryu reason to trust her. If she made mistakes he could observe her and learn things she didn't want him to learn, and decide how to deal with the situation.
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Vierra
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Administrator
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Gender: Female
Magic: Arcane Body Magic
Position: Eclipse Soul Lurker
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Post by Vierra on Mar 2, 2016 2:49:07 GMT
Vierra looked down at her hand as it began to burn. She tilted her head and looked at the leather began to warm up. Then heat. Burning heat. Nothing compared to the heat she had gone through. She shook her head and pulled her hand back as the creature began to talk furiously to her about the disrespect. She pulled her glove off to reveal the burns on her hand and then blinked. Vierra knew she had been in a lot more pain than this. Obviously because of the chaos she had to walk through just to get to where she needed to be. She then looked at the creature in front of him. "Amazing..." she said out of curiosity. She smiled and looked at the elemental flames. "Green flames... Now that is beauty. I'm so used to only seeing blues and purples for magic. I don't know why."
She then looked at the dryad. "Excuse me elemental guardians, but don't get me wrong, if you are plants and live off of the earth, wouldn't giving you carbon dioxide from my actual breathing be respect enough? I mean plants live off of our breath and all." Vierra nodded to herself. She then looked at them. "Oh... Rudeness..." She put a hand in her pocket and began to pull out cards. They had writing on them. Each one was completely weird and different from the other one:
I'm sorry I didn't know she/he/it was dead
I'm sorry I didn't know it would explode
Circumstances had made this conversation quite awkward, I shall leave now.
"Ah here we go... I'm sorry for the disrespect. I will make sure I will never do say what I did here again." Vierra said. She then clapped her hands together and then looked at the two again. Here eyes wondered between the two creatures in front of her. "I know I should be shocked by this, but I'm really not. Mainly because I have lived in a realm outside of here that is rather old. Respect, for those who demand it around me seems to be rather well... lacking. Child or..." Vierra looked at Ryu, "Creature. Of nature that is more than likely thousands of years older than me... Or just as old as me, because I don't how old I am. i just think I'm 30. I FEEL like I'm 30." She then looked at Girana and then gave a grin. "Let me ask you this, Child of Nature. Don't you just feel so... bored sitting around doing absolutely nothing, but wondering around the woods? Are you the type of person that straight up hates humans because of how we treat the earth, mine the coal and diamonds, use the earth to feed our young and help us flourish? Doesn't that make you angry? Yet you sit here, wonder around, and vow to protect Mother Earth." She looked at the two then put a hand on her help. She knew her questions would probably annoy them perhaps tick the two of them off. She let the two sit there to think upon her questions. "Let me tell you about Aspects," finally getting to the point Vierra walked over to a tree and leaned against it. "What you came through was the actual Realm where magic was born. Aspects, are children of the Arcane Realm. They, just like you, are literally ticked that humans are using their magic and taking complete advantage of it. With out any knowledge that these ghosts exist." She looked at the two and then figured that her way of telling things were probably the wrong way, but she wanted to make a point. "Let me tell you this though, if you walk around here saying that you're going to protect this planet then you should really join me. Mainly because Aspects and here outside of their realm is a very bad formula."
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Girana Spiritflower
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Yggdrasil
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
Gender: Female
Magic: Gaia & Elemental Dance
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Post by Girana Spiritflower on Mar 2, 2016 18:28:23 GMT
Ryu narrowed his eyes, still made out of orange flames, as he observed the woman carefully. He had made sure his flames were not so warm as to actually harm her, but it was still interesting how she didn't appear phased in the slightest at the idea of shaking hands with a claw formed out of green flames. Instead she looked more fascinated than anything else. Did that make it more likely that the plainness of her soul came from her being a person with little personality, or more likely that something strange had happened to her? It was hard to tell. A person who simply didn't have that much emotion or personality wouldn't be easily startled or impressed by anything, because both those things required a solid personality. However if she had encountered strange things in her life, and had strange things done to her, that would also explain why simply being met with a burning claw didn't affect her a lot. He couldn't say much about it so far. He'd have to study her more, if she didn't gie him reason to get rid of her, either by just relocating her like she had relocated the two of them before, or the more...permanent...way of removing a person. Well, he wasn't that easily goaded into doing the latter. She'd have to do some seriously amoral things before he would be pushed that far (granted, anything which was negative towards Girana was automatically considered the height of amorality).
When she commented on the green flames, calling them beautiful and remarking upon the fact that she had never seen green flames before, the spirit guardian residing within Girana raised one eyebrow, signified by one of the orange flame eyes growing bigger for a moment, followed by a rumbling chuckle. Apparently Vierra had managed to amuse this creature of flame by complimenting those flames.
"The reason that you only see blue and purple is because you humans and fellow mortals rarely learn how to appreciate the power that nature contains. Blue and purple flames are the flames of raw magical energy and the arcane. Easy for your type of creature to create. These flames are born from the energies of life and nature. You humans can't use them properly, since you rarely ever manage to establish that strong a bond with nature. Which is rather sad, since these flames are a lot better for if you only want to burn very specific things. Those blue and purple flames are rather indiscriminate, so far as I can tell."
The next comment by the woman, that the fact that she was giving them carbon dioxide to live off of, soured the spirit's mood once again, the orange flame eyes narrowing as he glared at her even as that claw of green flames retreated back into the cloak that covered Girana. The dryad was staying silent so far, allowing Ryu to deal with this stranger until it was actually necessary for her to speak up. For now Ryu just grumbled before answering Vierra, that crackling and roaring voice sounding rather dry.
"You also live off of the breath of plants. It's the plants which take your breath and waste and turn it back into the oxygen you need to survive. Offering us your breath doesn't mean anything, since we are always returning the favour. Not to mention that you aren't offering your breath as a sign of respect to us. You breathe to survive. Even if we didn't exist you would still breathe. That is no sign of respect for us. It is merely survival, and plants and animals living in symbiosis."
The spirit observed Vierra warily as she pulled cards out of her pockets and began reading them. From where he was located (which was actually, quite a difficult question to answer should it ever be asked) he could see that they were hints towards polite behaviour in various situations. She needed those things to behave like most humans behaved without thinking much about it? That meant that for some reason not only her soul wasn't as detailed as that of most mature beings, but she had actually skipped a lot of the education everybody else went through while maturing. If she didn't know social interaction and needed help that indicated that she had in fact gone through something strange, since even boring people without much emotions or personality tended to at least know how to act in most situations, if only because they would have learned about social behaviour while growing up. That did make her slightly more curious, as Ryu wanted to know what she had gone through that had ended with her soul being so plain and her knowledge about interaction so limited. Eventually she managed to find the right card for the situation and apologized. Girana accepted the apology without hesitation or agitation, but Ryu was less certain. If she had to read it off of a card, did she actually mean the apology?
"I never said you had to respect me. I do not care about the respect of humans like you. I only said you should respect the dryad I am protecting. She is one of the most loved children of nature, and has already done enough for this world that almost anybody, should they know about what she did, would respect her without me telling them to. So far as age goes, the chances of you being older or just as old as my love are very low. She has already seen several hundreds of human generations grow up and pass away. The chances of you being near my age are non-existent. I do not follow the same years and ages as mortals do. I doubt you could comprehend my age even if I tried to explain it. Suffice to say, I am older than anything which possesses a limited amount of time."
Ryu fell silent as Vierra then addressed Girana, retreating back inside the dryad so only the cloak of green flames remained as a sign of his presence. The dryad had looked somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable when the spirit had been praising her. Talking about age, and how she had already seen countless of human generations, just made her slightly sad. She would have been sadder, but after the first couple of dozen of generations she had become somewhat jaded. She wasn't a human, wasn't a part of human life, and simply wasn't a part of their world. It was sad to see them grow up and pass away while she stayed the same as always, but that was simply how things were. Mortal beings simply had a limited lifespan to enjoy. They would be born, grow up, age, and pass away, making away for new life. Even Girana herself would at some point have to pass into the next world, although in her case it would most likely be once this world as a whole was reaching its end. She had the feeling that Ryu wouldn't accept her ever passing away though. So far as she knew he really had unlimited time, and it was unlikely that he would tolerate the possibility of losing his bond with her. Which was a problem in itself, but she didn't know the right way of talking to him about it.
First Vierra questioned Girana's opinion on humans. It wasn't the first time that she had been asked about this. She knew the reasoning: humans were greedy and selfish, they only ever took more and more of the world for themselves, rarely ever returning anything. They were a parasite, and anything which sided with the world should want them gone so the world would no longer have to suffer under their parasitic behaviour. It was a common line of reasoning thrown at Girana. However...
"I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree here. I dislike humans, yes, but if you think you can hook Leafy here with that approach you're in for a surprise."
Girana sighed, not entirely happy with the way Ryu phrased it, but nodding and closing her eyes as she placed one hand on her chest.
"I love humans as much as I love all living things. I am a dryad, and a protector of nature and life. Yes, I know that humans take so much from the world, and never seem satisfied. However they are not unique in that. All living things want more. To be alive is to strive for better things, both for yourself and your children. The difference between humans and other animals is not that humans are so selfish, but that they have become so good at satisfying their greed. I am sad that the way that the humans as a species have evolved has made them so inclined to take and never give back, but I do not blame them for their success. I as a dryad, and Wolfy as a guardian spirit, might not have that greed or selfishness, but we are both immortal and thus are not driven by the same desires as those who only have a limited lifetime. There are mortal species which live better lives as humans, but there is always a difference. The best we can do is try to help humans learn how to give as well as take, and rein them in when they go too far. And it's not like all humans are selfish. I would only hate humans if they turned their back on life and nature entirely, preferring death and desolation, and in that case I would only hate those humans. It would be unfair if I would hate all humans for the erronous decisions made by but a few."
Girana opened her eyes, staring Vierra straight in the eyes. She wasn't as...confident...as her guardian, but she hadn't survived for thousands of years by being easily shaken or made to doubt her own thoughts. Her green eyes were filled with certainty about the right course to take regarding humans. To hate them would be irrational, for they simply did what all living things strived to do. She might feel sad when she saw them chop down entire forests, but forests could grow back, and she could help humans by keeping them from causing too much harm, and teaching them about living together with nature instead of abusing it mercilessly. And since she wasn't mortal she didn't have to worry that after her passing they would return to their old ways. She could watch over them and make sure they didn't stray too far from the path of life and symbiosis. She listened to the rest of Vierra's words in silence, Ryu holding his tongue as well as it looked like his dryad had decided to take charge for now.
When Vierra finished the dryad was frowning slightly. She had obviously been paying close attention to what the human female had been saying, looking thoughtful as she considered the new information. She knew that the Arcane Realm existed, but she hadn't expected it to be quite so chaotic. She had never been there herself, at least before today, and the visit today had been so short as to not count. She didn't know if Ryu had been in the Arcane Realm before, but she wasn't going to ask. If he felt like telling her he would inform her of his own volition.
"I'm not sure I can agree with you when you say that all magic was born from one Realm. There is magic in every part of existence. Could it be that you are only talking about the magic that is best known to humans, the Arcane magic which allows you to bend reality to your whim? Or do you claim that the Arcane Realm already existed before all life?"
"These Aspects sound like they could be trouble though. If they are children of the Arcane Realm just as Leafy is a child of nature then we can't underestimate them. Although I would like some proof. No offense, but you humans don't exactly have a reputation for being trustworthy. You yourself said it: they are inclined to do anything if it works in their own favour, and you wouldn't be the first to think that capturing a dryad could be beneficial to you. Of course, I can't prove that myself, since I made sure that everybody who thought that before you stopped doing so. Along with everything else they did and might ever do."
Girana sighed, then bowed towards Vierra.
"I apologize for the belated greeting. I am Girana Spiritflower, one of the dryads who looks after this world. The green flames that you complimented belong to the ancient spirit who lives inside me, called Ryu Hinote, also known as the the Dragon Spirit. If you really need our help making sure those Arcane Aspects won't harm this world we will of course go with you. Although I think Wolfy is going to keep being suspicious until you provide some proof. He is stubborn like that."
Girana smiled as she said that, hearing Ryu grumble in the back of his mind. She was only teasing him, although she wasn't really lying when she said that he would stay suspicious until given proof. He really became paranoid whenever it came to Girana's safety. As he said, Vierra wouldn't be the first one to try and capture a dryad if that was her plan, but it wasn't like that was a normal occurrence. As long as they both kept an eye out they should be able to follow Vierra and avoid capture. And if they didn't... Well, Ryu could probably free her anyway. Those Aspects sounded dangerous indeed, but even so Girana didn't doubt for a moment that her Wolfy could save her.
As they talked to Vierra the plants in the clearing had begun to grow faster and more exuberantly, as always happened when Girana loited in one place. What had been a clearing was quickly turning into one of the most overgrown locations in the entire forest, although no plants were growing in between Girana and Vierra, so they weren't hindering their conversation. The dryad wanted to talk to this human female, so the plants wouldn't get in her way. It wasn't even something she did on purpose, just as she wasn't wilfully causing the plants to grow in the first place, but it was pretty useful nonetheless.
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Vierra
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Post by Vierra on Mar 3, 2016 2:26:22 GMT
"It is a pleasure to meet you Girana and it is a relief that you view humans as a sort of whimsical treasure." Vierra bowed as well. She smiled and looked at the two. "I don't mind stubborness. In my experience it only means you won't let go of something." She gave a smile and then put a hand on her bracer. "I don't think I can show you the power of an Aspect here, but I know I can help you understand that binding one will take a little bit of help." Vierra turned around and began walk away from Girana. She revealed the olive green guild affiliation tattoo on the back of her neck. She walked over to a tree and held her hand up her eyes thinned to a serious look. She took a deep breath and flicked her wrist. Snick... A blade slipped out from under her wrist. The blade had a purple gleam to it. It was a little transparent, but what was most curious was the fact that Vierra's magical aura had completely disappeared. As if nothing was there and she was just a normal human. She then stabbed the tree.
If the dryad could hear the tree cry or scream it wouldn't have made a sound. The tree still seemed unharmed. Vierra then pulled the blade from the tree showing that there had been no stab mark to it at all. There had been no damage whatsoever to the tree. The tree was unharmed and the blade had no evidence of harming the tree. Vierra then returned the blade back to the bracer and her magical aura returned immediately. It hit her in a flash as she shook a bit. She sighed and put a hand on her forehead wiping her brow. "My connection with my magic disappears because I am an Arcane Mage, but this blade is an Arcane Binding Blade."
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Girana Spiritflower
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Yggdrasil
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Post by Girana Spiritflower on Mar 3, 2016 3:14:33 GMT
Girana smiled back at Vierra, now that it looked like they could find some common ground. Truth be told she had been rather startled, having suddenly been dropped through some strange Realm only to find herself a mere couple of yards away from her previous location. However it didn't seem like this human had any ill intentions, and as disconcerning as that short trip might have done it hadn't done any permanent damage. In fact it hadn't done any temporary damage either, unless you wanted to count the fact that Girana needed a couple of seconds to recover from the brief but shocking experience. As long as Vierra didn't try anything that would anger Ryu there should be no problem helping the human out. Although in that case there was still the problem that somewhere else those other humans were still amassing their armies for a large battle that could actually inflict lasting damage to nature. However from what Vierra had told so far the Aspects were a lot more powerful than any mere mortal army, and a lot more inclined to cause serious trouble not just for the people living here, but for the world itself as well. If that was true then even those human armies would have to wait in favour of taking care of this problem first. Although Girana had the feeling this might take a while: if the Aspects were that dangerous she couldn't imagine them dealing with all of them within a week. Although come to think of it, she didn't know anything about the amount of Aspects or what kind of abilities they exactly possessed...
For Ryu's part, he was still suspicioius but had calmed down after the initial shock of seeing Girana get transported like that. True, he was relocated as well, living inside Girana, but he never really worried about himself. The chances of there being something out there that could actually harm him for an extended period of time were low... Truth be told, chances of encountering something which could inflict lasting damage on Girana were also low, but in her case he just absolutely despised the very idea of seeing her hurt. He could recover from pretty much everything, and pain was not something he was unused to. However to see Girana in pain always cut him deeper than any wound directed at himself, even if it was one that struck at him on not only the physical but the spiritual plane as well. He just couldn't tolerate the idea of her getting hurt, so the moment something sudden happened which also affected the dryad the spirit immediately turned extremely wary and suspicious, and hostile towards pretty much everything besides Girana as well. For now he just watched Vierra. Girana appeared to be trusting this human female not to try anything, so Ryu would leave it to her to deal with the woman. He himself would be ready in case she was simply putting up a front, in which case he'd quickly get rid of her.
"All living things are a treasure, no matter how big or small, how vicious or peaceful. And Ryu most certainly won't let go of me. Ever since I met him he's been living inside me, and I don't think I could get rid of him even if I wanted to. And I can't imagine wanting to."
Girana's smile became even brighter and happier, the rather short dryad almost glowing with happiness and affection for her companion, although the dark brown on her cheeks indicated that she also felt some embarrassment at declaring it so bluntly. Ryu meanwhile just shared his own affection for Girana with her through the link the two of them had, the two of them basking in each other's affection before returning their focus to Vierra. Girana still looked rather happy, but her focus was back now. As for Ryu, hidden inside Girana...who knew what he was thinking or doing?
They both watched Vierra intently as she walked away from them towards one of the trees that had already been there when Girana walked into the clearing. They noted the tattoo on the back of her neck, but didn't know what to make of it. Girana had her own markings (they weren't tattoos: somehow her skin just had a different colour in that pattern, as precise and clean as if put there by the most masterful of engravers), but they didn't think Vierra's tattoo was of the same nature. Humans used tattoos for a lot of things: decoration, social standing, intimidation, camouflage, magic... They had most certainly gotten the hang of the art of marking one's own body to achieve a certain goal. There were plenty of cultures in which tattoos were just as important as any kind of jewelry or clothing. With so many possibilities, they weren't sure which one it was that Vierra's tattoo was meant to be. However that wasn't exactly important. What was important was what Vierra did to that tree once she got close enough.
Girana visibly winced when the hidden blade dug into the flesh of the tree. The very sight was enough for her to feel a stab of pain in sympathy for her verdant friend. She was about to open her mouth to ask what Vierra intended to do when she halted her actions, her furry ears rigid in surprise as her mouth stayed open. The blade had quite clearly penetrated deep inside the bark and the wood of the tree, but she couldn't feel any kind of pain or damage from the tree. From the tree's point of view the blade might as well not have existed. The combination of seeing that blade cutting the tree while at the same time realizing the tree was feeling and experiencing nothing for it left Girana quite puzzled, which was visible on her face as shock and sheer confusion battled for control of her facial features. She didn't tell Vierra to stop, or ask what she was doing: she just stared with an open mouth, wide eyes, and rigid fur-covered ears, unable to do anything but stand there and watch, trying to figure out what was going on.
Ryu meanwhile was more focused on the fact that the moment that the hidden blade had appeared, the human female had stopped showing any signs of possessing magic. Suddenly she was as normal a human being as you could imagine, with absolutely zero potential for any kind of special ability. Quite the puzzle... Had she merely begun hiding her powers the moment the blade came out, to show the two of them that she was quite capable of moving around undetected, using that hidden blade to assassinate? Or was that hidden blade directly linked to her magic? He knew that there were many humans and other mortals who didn't possess the ability to use magic, but who could compensate for that which they lacked by using special items. Even the most common of peasants could be a mage if they had a couple of magic staffs which they knew how to use. Those items could also mask the fact that the user didn't have any real magic talent themselves, at least to the unwary or the unobservant... Ryu wasn't unwary or unobservant. He could usually tell that the magic resided in the item, not the user. That this hidden blade could deceive him meant it must be quite the piece of work.
But if it was of that high a quality, why did all the sense of magic power disappear the moment the hidden blade was revealed?
The sight of her stabbing the tree didn't phase Ryu. He knew Girana would be mad, but he had more important things to be focused on. When Vierra retreated her blade he could see, just like Girana, that no harm had been done to the tree. That was at least a relief. However that just made the blade more curious. What kind of blade was that, that it wouldn't even harm something as normal as a tree? The spirit narrowed his eyes inside Girana, staring at the human female. He hoped that she would explain more about what she just did, and he wasn't disappointed. An Arcane Binding Blade, huh...
"Going by the name you have given it, and the fact that the tree is unharmed, I assume this blade is only of use should one wish to seal something which originated from the Arcane Realm. A blade created to use against mages who tap into the powers of the Arcane Realm? Or was this specifically given to you with the task of taking down those Aspects, should they ever become dangerous? You already know who we are, and what we are. Can you tell us why you know about the Arcane Realm, and why you apparently possess a magic which is nearly perfect for the task of keeping the Aspects from harming this world?"
"We will help you, but I also want to know more. You don't have to talk about yourself if you don't want to, but you can tell us more about what the situation is, and what exactly you expect us to do. I would prefer if you did so before we actually came along with you, if that is your plan, but if you are in a hurry I will go with you and you can tell us what we need to know while travelling."
"You'll have to give us a heads up if you want to use that relocation technique on us once again though. Being caught by surprise once is enough."
Ryu and Girana had come to the silent agreement to see if they could help Vierra after they saw what the blade could do and what it was called. It wasn't actually that much, but it was enough to show them that this human female was not just talking complete nonsense. If she was right then these Aspects could cause serious harm to the world, which was unacceptable. The dryad walked towards Vierra, Ryu finally retreating the cloak of green flames so there was no way of telling that he was there unless you already knew that he was in there, hiding inside Girana and waiting to protect her should the need ever arise...
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Vierra
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Post by Vierra on Mar 6, 2016 2:51:45 GMT
She grinned as Ryu began to inquire about the blade. "It's both and then it's not. It's meant to bind Aspects, but it's only meant to bind CERTAIN Aspects. Just the ones that I am after. They are all Aspects of the Fates." She wiped her forehead as some sweat began to form from the sudden increase in her magic. She turned around as she thought about how she was going to answer Ryu's question about herself. To be fair, she really didn't know. She tapped a boot on the ground then took in a deep breath of air through her nostrils. She let it out with a sigh as she began to speak, "The Aspects I need to bind have the answer to that question, Ryu. To be honest, I left the Arcane Realm and hit the Karakuri City in a small explosion. I only have one memory about that place. Someone told me to 'finish it.'" She put her hood up and then turned her face to her shoulder so that Girana could only see her face from the nose down. "I don't even know what 'it' is, but just the curiosity of knowing... It scares, excites, and tempts me. That's why I'm doing this."
Vierra smiled and nodded. [color-=yellow]"I am running low on rations,"[/color] she said admitting that she needed to prepare for her next adventure. She was truly excited that she had a companion for this journey. "I think our next stop should be Hargeon... I am in the mood for something fishy."
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Girana Spiritflower
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Yggdrasil
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Post by Girana Spiritflower on Mar 10, 2016 12:06:03 GMT
"A blade that only binds the Aspects that you are looking for? I presume that the blade was specifically made for you then, possibly even just for this quest alone. Unless somebody in the past realized that all these Aspects of Fate would at some point begin causing trouble and decided to prepare some countermeasures in advance. Well, that at least means that you aren't going into this blind."
It also reinforced the idea that Vierra was in fact meant to be doing this. Ryu, mellow as he was, also liked to figure out how things worked. This woman, Vierra, wasn't just some mage who channelled the powers of the Arcane Realm and happened to learn about the Aspects and that they were escaping into this world. She hadn't decided to protect this world from the harm that those strange entities could cause, at least not out of her own free will. Her abilities and equipment were too specific, too suited for this mission, for things to be a coincidence. So this wasn't your average human. Not your average mage either. She had a purpose. She existed and had arrived here for a reason. Which meant that her meeting with Girana and himself most likely wasn't a coincidence either. The question was, who was pulling the strings, and to what purpose? If they were fortunate this was all just orchestrated by some entity from the Arcane Realm who just like Vierra wanted to help protect this world against those Aspects. Or at least, get the Aspects to return to the Arcane Realm. In which case they were being manipulated by somebody benign, or at the very least one who didn't have any malicious intent towards them. However it could also be that Vierra was a pawn of a much more questionable being, in which case Ryu would have to be on guard. Arcane Realm or not, he wasn't going to just be a plaything.
On Girana's side (a whole lot less suspicious and a whole lot more friendly) she frowned when she saw that Vierra was sweating. The dryad knew very well that the current weather and temperature were not ones that would cause a human to sweat. Of course, Vierra had already stated that she wasn't completely sure about herself, but even so, her body was most likely that of a human. Looking at the biological, chemical, and physical traits of the human body the current temperature, humidity, and airflow should not force her body to perspire in an effort to cool down. Judging from what Vierra had just done, using that blade was actually quite straining. She'd have to see if she could somehow help lower the strain if she was going to travel together with this woman. As a dryad helping living beings was instinct for her. Granted, a lot of dryads got angry about humans constantly cutting down forests and changed their mind from nurturing all living things to only looking after the plants and the animals that weren't causing deforestation. Fortunately Girana wasn't one of those. They tended to be quite hostile towards humans, which would have made this encounter a whole lot less productive and a lot more likely to contain deeds which would alter be regretted.
Ryu's suspicions about Vierra were confirmed when she explained that she actually didn't remember a lot about herself. And that if he wanted to learn about her he would have to ask those very same Aspects that they were supposed to capture. So there was a link between this woman and the Aspects that had escaped the Arcane Realm... Was that good or bad? If he wanted to be paranoid he could presume that the Aspects had escaped when Vierra travelled from the Arcane Realm to this world, meaning she was the one that had caused this mess in the first place. If he wanted to be even more paranoid he might suspect that it was done on purpose, and that the current Vierra had forgotten about it. Or she could be lying entirely. Well, Ryu wasn't paranoid to actually believe any of this just yet, but he definitely was willing to keep an open mind. When protecting Girana (and in extension this world) it wouldn't be a good idea to write off a potentially dangerous idea just because it was 'too paranoid'. The spirit guardian raised his non-existent eyebrows as Vierra finished her explanation. She did sound honest about wanting to find out what she was supposed to finish. Most likely because finding out would include getting her memories back. Wasn't really that surprising that one would rather regain their memories. They were considered rather important by many people.
"I see. So if I want to learn more about this I'll have to ask those Aspects. I do hope that they're capable of communicating in some way, because I'm getting curious. But until then I'll follow Leafy, who will be following you. Although I do hope you understand my priority is with Leafy here, so if we end up in a situation where I would have to protect one of you please don't act surprised."
Girana frowned inwardly at Ryu for that. She wasn't sure why he said that. For her part Vierra sounded like she could use all the help she could get. No memories except being told to 'finish it', a quest to capture these Aspects of Fate that belonged to the Arcane Realm... All together the dryad had no real reason not to help Vierra, especially since Ryu would be on the lookout for treachery or betrayal. Smiling Girana nodded when Vierra mentioned that she would have to revisit civilization for rations. She herself didn't need to worry about food, and neither did Ryu, but she guessed that travelling with a human meant that she'd have to alter her priorities to make sure Vierra would also be comfortable. Girana and Ryu both didn't really need either sleep nor food (although Girana liked to sleep if there was a good opportunity), so that would slow them down a bit. On the other hand, Vierra most likely was a more focused traveller than the two of them, who usually just walked wherever and let things happen to them. The dryad giggled when Vierra said she was in the mood for something fishy.
"All right. I don't know where this Hargeon is, so you'll have to guide us. Shall we begin walking? I know that animals don't last very long without food."
Truth be told, the dryad and the spirit could easily hunt for food, but they'd rather not do that unless it was an emergency. Girana because she herself had never needed that type of nourishment, which left her feeling somewhat guilty at the prospect of hunting unless it was actually necessary, and Ryu because he was just lazy.
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