[IC] Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

[EliteCommander]

It was loud. Everything was deafeningly loud. Explosions, shouting, the cracks and pops of bullets flying through the air and hitting against sand, metal, and sometimes flesh overwhelmed every sense Tarentek possessed. He was prone on the rooftop of his neighbors' house, trying in vain to pick out any target in the darkness beyond Amman's walls. Only minutes before, the land was shrouded in the near-complete darkness of the moonless night, but now he was nearly blinded by the bright red glow of the dozens of flares that had suddenly been fired over the city. Even now, they were illuminating himself and his allies holding the road below, and making the darkness beyond all the more impenetrable.

Tarentek was meant to be a marksman, but he could not see anyone to shoot. Some of his allies below were firing blindly into the darkness to suppress the enemy, but he could not take advantage of it. He tried to focus his sights on the muzzle flashes of the enemy to give him some chance of hitting someone, but he couldn't keep his rifle steady. Despite his prone position, his hands were shaking, and he could feel nothing but fear. They were being overwhelmed, in every sense of the word. The sounds, the light, the gunfire, it was destroying them in body and spirit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a friend's head explode into a mist of blood behind her. She was twenty-two years old, a year younger than himself. Her father had wanted her to become a butcher like he was, but she was too much of a thrill seeker to be complacent just cutting up meat. She liked to think of herself as the best shot in the squad, despite the fact that both Tarentek and Rithalsa could regularly outmatch her in training. She had recently pranked him by adding something extremely spicy to his soup, and he still had not managed to think of a way to get her back.

Closing his eyes a moment, Tarentek tried to snap himself out of it. He needed to focus on the moment; he needed to find something to shoot. His eyes tried to scan the darkness for some trace of a silhouette he could shoot, but he kept hearing something that distracted him. It was quiet compared to the chaos around him, but it was close. After a few moments he realized from where and what it was: crying, from directly beneath him. His neighbors were likely hiding in the second floor of their home in the room just under him. His neighbors' had their egg hatch only a few weeks ago. He had heard about it a day or so after his team returned from their last mission. They had been trying for a child for quite a while, as their last two eggs were already lifeless when they were laid. Luckily, he had returned in time to attend the celebration they held for the child's hatching. The partly had lasted a few hours longer than intended, but it had been a good opportunity for Tarentek to catch up with the others in his neighborhood.

A bullet pinged off of the edge of the roof beside Tarentek, bringing him back into the moment. Some of the flares had been burning down, but the enemy just fired more. Still, he could use their muzzle flash; he could find a target. Eventually, his shaky hands managed to guide his rifle somewhere near a flash in the darkness. Despite seeing nothing, he looked through his scope on reflex, then started to squeeze the trigger before a blinding while light interrupted him. It was like a floodlight straight onto him and his allies, which was bright enough to force him to close his eyes and turn his head. Once his eyes managed to somewhat adjust, he saw the lights approaching unbelievably quickly, and with a terrifying roar. He froze up as it drew closer and closer. Just as it came crashing through their fortifications, he was able to see the machine which the lights were attached to. It was a large, armored version of the decaying vehicles found in old Human cities, but instead of a rusting pile of steel, this one was quite operational. He was almost in awe of the machine as it shattered their fortifications, crushed a member of his squad, and crashed through the very building Tarentek was on top of. The walls and internal supports crumbled as the building began to collapse, sending Tarentek tumbling to the ground below.

Tarentek awoke screaming. He kicked and thrashed his blanket away from him violently enough to tear it slightly with the claws on his feet. He shot up into a sitting position as his eyes darted around the room, which was lightly illuminated by the morning sun. For a few moments, he was still panicked and confused, unable to separate reality from memory. He waited for his inevitable death, but when it did not come, he was slowly brought back into reality. However, the influence of those memories could not be so easily escaped. Tarentek backed himself against the wall and brought his knees up to his chest, then buried his head between his arms as he wrapped them around his legs. The vivid memories of that night tore at his very being, to the point that he began to sob uncontrollably.

[Vesuvius00]

A sudden scream jerked Onyx the rest of the way out of her trance-like state as she lay on her bed almost asleep. Confusion and then fear went through her as she realized that it was Tarentek screaming. She fumbled for a moment with her med-pack and barely remembered to grab one of her larger throwing knives before rushing to his room.

The door was closed, and he had stopped screaming by the time she got there, so she steeled herself and opened the door carefully and quietly. Tarentek was the only one in the room, and Onyx couldn't smell any blood, so she assumed that he was also unharmed. He was sitting naked on the bed with his back to the wall, curled up and crying.

Hesitating only a moment, Onyx went to get a glass of water and another blanket, as she saw the one he had was torn on the floor. As she got back to the room, the stepped just inside the door and spoke calmly, sweetly like her mother would speak when Onyx had cried when she was younger. "Bad dreams?"

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek did not know for how long he remained silent after Onyx spoke, staring blankly at the scales on his arms. It seemed like minutes, though it could have only been seconds. His entire body was shaking noticeably from the fear his memory left behind, and each breath was uneasy. Consciously, he knew he was safe, but the more basic parts of his mind would not cease in their panic. Eventually, Tarentek managed to take in a deep breath, then focus his eyes on the glass of water Onyx was holding. Slowly, he managed to move himself out of his curled up position to sit normally on the edge of the bed.

Taking the glass Onyx offered, Tarentek took a small sip, then began to stare into the surface of the water. "Dream doesn't really describe it." He began, pausing a moment to sniff as he tried to cease his sobbing. "It's like...I don't know what it's like. It's horror replaying in my mind, not so much a dream as a memory. It doesn't happen every night but...too many nights. The deaths, the pain, the fear, none of it is going away. I feel...broken."

[Vesuvius00]

Tarentek was obviously very shaken by the memory, but he had managed to uncurl himself and take the glass from Onyx, so she hoped he might be calming down. She noticed he was crying, but trying to stop as he told her how he felt. Onyx glanced down at the new mark on her palm, and a sharp pang went through her. She felt so complete since she had seen the vision of the dark Elissic, she could hardly imagine how sad and lonely Tarentek must feel that he would describe himself as broken.

He had told her in passing about some of the events that had led to Onyx meeting him at the sea just a few days ago, although she had never thought that there was more that he would never be able to tell because of the pain and fear it caused him to even remember it. Onyx sat on the bed beside him and began to reach for his hands. She hesitated a moment and then forced herself to hold his hands in her own, looking him in the eye.

"I don't know what your life was like before this happened to you, and I do not hope to be able to understand completely, but I want you to know this: The past is behind you, and so long as you learn from it, the horrors you've known will never happen again." Onyx kept holding his hands, and she could see the white mark on her palm as she looked at them. "I also think you should know that I'm here for you, if you need to talk about it, or you just need a distraction."

[EliteCommander]

At first, Tarentek gave no sort of reaction when Onyx grabbed his hand. He simply continued to stare into his glass of water, lost in thought and fear. However, he was not ignoring her words; in fact, he was listening closely. It was unlikely that simple words could fully fix his problems, but he would be lying if he said they did not help. A few weeks prior, he had lost everything, and everyone, in his life. He had wandered the desert in solitude, in constant fear of dying in isolation. It was a prospect that he had never known he feared so greatly until the danger was upon him. He wanted to have friends and companions, to have something to belong to. Without his people, he felt like he had no purpose. Currently, he still had no sense of belonging, but it did seem that one person at least cared about his fate.

After a few moments of silence, Tarentek took in a deep breath, then tightened his grip on her hand as he finally turned his head to look at her. "I...thank you. I don't think this pain is going away, but I hate being alone. Knowing there is someone to help me...it is comforting. I appreciate your support. I don't know if I want to talk about what happened right now...in fact, I'd rather do just about anything else." He said, putting on a slight smile. "I think I'll take you up on that offer of a distraction."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx was glad that it seemed what she had said had helped somewhat. "Well, a distraction it is. I don't know how long ago I got back, but I do know it wasn't too long ago... It was just before dawn then." Onyx released Tarentek's hand and stood up. Holding her hand to him, palm up, she simply said, "I think you helped me to find my answer."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek leaned forward and inspected the white mark on Onyx's palm. He had no honest idea as to its actual significance, but by the way Onyx spoke, he assumed it had plenty of meaning. "Oh, so your ritual went well, then? That is wonderful." He commented, standing up as well. He started to stretch out his muscles to get a sense of his current physical condition. The weakness and soreness was still there, but yet again, it wasn't as strong as the day before. He wouldn't have quite as much difficulty moving around, so he could become more involved in whatever Onyx happened to be doing that day.

"So, what kind of answer were you given? If that isn't too personal of a question, of course. I am not sure of everything that is involved with your rituals. Still, I assume this means quite a lot to you. I seem to remember that it involved your coming-of-age ritual, correct?" He asked.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx could barely contain her excitement as she recited the Caantam that the dark Elissic had given her to Tarentek. "Thine eye that shines as white snow, Blessed me my wings of golden heart." As she spoke the words, she heard a sort of ring to them, a sense of the power they held. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle as she spoke again. "That may sound like gibberish to you, but that's possibly the most important thing I learned from the ritual. I am to be a Prophet of Fellagang!" She smiled as she spoke the last few words, and had to force herself to stay still as she waited for Tarentek's response.

[EliteCommander]

From Onyx's tone alone, Tarentek gathered that this role she described, a "Prophet of Fellagang," was something to be excited about. He did not know if it was a class of priest or religious leader, or even if it was something entirely unique, but whatever it was, he was glad to hear it was something she was happy with. It had only been the previous day that she had been struggling with a lack of direction in her life, but now, it seemed she had a definite goal.

"A Prophet of Fellagang, what does that role entail?" Tarentek questioned. "I feel there is a lot I still need to learn about your people, but whatever it might be, you look like you can barely contain your excitement. I'm glad I could be of assistance to you, especially when it leads to good news such as this."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx smiled at Tarentek and began to explain. "A Prophet is somewhat like a diplomat, and somewhat like a Sentry, and then again is also like a Rouge." She paused a moment, thinking how better to explain. "A good kind of Rouge though, the kind that helps all those it meets. A Prophet is a warrior and a teacher; they are more than just a member of any one tribe, they are a guiding force that have saved our people may times before."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, well then. Maybe that is a sign of the times?" Tarentek commented. "Our world is changing, and with this new threat, the kind of person you describe is exactly the kind of person we need. Armies aren't what is going to truly win this looming war, it's alliances. The ability to overcome differences, to speak with others and see beyond the selfish needs of each city and settlement. I may not know much about your rituals or gods, but I can say with certainty that the kind of person who would go out of her way, at potential risk to herself, to help a lizard in need like me is someone who deserves that title...even if you did push me into the sea immediately afterwards." He said with a chuckle.

Tarentek stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her with a smile. "Congratulations, Onyx." He said sincerely.

[Vesuvius00]

"Thanks. And, I suppose I should apologize for that... I thought you were threatening me then, and I did overreact a bit." Onyx took a step away from Tarentek and turned as if she were going to leave, bu then stopped and looked back at him for a second. "I'm going to make us something to eat. It's still to early to go out and about in the nest right now, but I don't think staying here for a little while would be too bad." She smiled and then added, "You can come out once you've dressed."

[EliteCommander]

"Very well. I might be able to be more active today than yesterday. I'm feeling a lot better, and as you can see, my scars have improved drastically as well. Just a few more days, I would guess." Tarentek commented, glancing down at the half of his body that, while still scarred, was leagues better than when she had first rescued him. Once Onyx left the room, Tarentek stopped for a moment and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. All he needed to do was to keep thinking about the good news, and maybe he could avoid falling back into his memories.

After a few minutes, Tarentek emerged from his room in his robes, and carrying his rifle in his arms. Taking a seat at the table, he set his rifle down in front of him. "I think I'm going to take this chance to clean my rifle. Jhala knows it needs it after trudging through the desert for so long. The sand really just gets everywhere." He commented and he removed the magazine, then pulled back the bolt and removed the bullet from the chamber. "You know, you were talking about the reliability of your firearms before; I might be able to help with that. After all, Human technology is my specialty. If I could take a look at your pistols, I might be able to fix any issues they are having, especially if I can find the right tools."

[Vesuvius00]

"Well, like I said before, we prefer bows and slingshots. I- I have a pair of relics you could look at if you want, but I doubt even you could make them work. They haven't since I got them." I only keep them because they look dangerous, and I could use them as a bluff if needed... Onyx thought as she went around the cabinets, trying to get an idea for what to make for breakfast. Finally giving up, she took out two bowls and poured cordial into them, mixing in cream as well and finally adding in some broken and dried pieces of flatbread. She placed one of the bowls in front of Tarentek, along with a spoon if he needed it, while she just picked up the bowl to drink from it.

After she had taken a few gulps, she put it down and smiled at Tarentek. "This isn't really any type of recipe, I just decided to throw these together. If it were the season, I would add grapes too." She reached into her bowl, pulling out a piece of the bread and popping it into her mouth. The bread was crunchy, while the cordial and cream mix was sweet but not too sweet, with the cream accenting the fruity flavor of the cordial. "How about, once day has begun, we'll go out into the nest again and I'll get my duties out of the way first, bringing you with me this time?"

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek chuckled. "I think you would be surprised at what I can do. Your firearms, your relics, are complicated, but they are still just machines. They can break, and be repaired just like any other. I cannot perform miracles if they are in really bad condition, but at the very least, I should be able to tell you exactly what is wrong with them and what you'll need to fix them." He explained as he continued to disassemble his rifle.

Tarentek paused from his task to start on his breakfast. As it was something thrown together quickly, it wasn't quite as good as what she had made before, but it was far from bad. It had the sweetness that Tarentek enjoyed so much, so he certainly couldn't complain. "Sure, I can come along with you. Though, if you need to complete your duties quickly, I can come back here at any point. I would not want to hinder you in any way." He said before he started to look around the room. "Say, do you mind if I look around for something I can use to clean and lubricate my rifle? Also, where can I find your pistols? If you want me to look at them, that is."

[Vesuvius00]

"I don't mind if you look around for what you need. I'll get my relics so you can look at them." Onyx stood and left the room, only to return a moment later with two twin pistols. "Like I said, I've not been able to get them to work since I got them." She put them carefully on the table before sitting down again.

"You wouldn't be a hindrance to me today, I was only in a hurry yesterday because I have to get my job done by sunset." Onyx looked at the sky lightening through the window. "It's dawn now, that means I have plenty of time."

[EliteCommander]

"Well then, as long as I am not bothering you, I'll be happy to join." Tarentek commented, going back and forth between eating and disassembling his rifle as Onyx collected her pistols. Once his rifle was fully in pieces, Tarentek got up to look around for what he needed. Since Onyx did not use firearms, he did not expect to find proper supplies for weapon maintenance, but he knew enough to know some alternatives. It was not too difficult to find something that would work for basic cleaning, but it took some more searching to find something that would work as a lubricant. Luckily, Onyx's collection of cooking ingredients delivered what he needed, as grease worked as a fine lubricant.

Tarentek started first on maintaining his own weapon as he ate. It was a task he had performed countless times, so it did not take long for him to clean and reassemble the rifle, after which he began work on the pistols. They were a common model, and he had maintained others like them before. Of course, there was no guarantee that he could repair even one of them. It did not matter how talented he was with the old technology if the parts to repair them simply were not there. He finished his meal, then cleared out the table in front of him to disassemble the pair of firearms, making sure to keep the parts for each separated. For one of them, it did not take long at all to determine the problem, as the trigger mechanism was busted. The other required that he take it apart fully, but the problem itself was actually something he had seen before, as it was a common point of failure for this type of pistol. It was not something he could repair without spare parts, but fortunately, there just happened to be an identical pistol right next to it. After about half an hour of examination total, Tarentek smiled once he saw that the parts he needed were still intact.

"Ah, I think I have it." Tarentek said excitedly. "On this one, the trigger mechanism is busted; it won't so much as move the hammer. On the other, it looks like the recoil spring is worn down, which in turn put stress on the firing pin and caused it to fail. It just so happens, though, that the recoil spring and firing pin on the other pistol are in perfectly fine condition. I just need to swap over the parts, and it should work fine. Though, I suppose if you haven't used relics before, you'll need some practice if you want to start using it." He explained.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx did some cleaning around the den as Tarentek worked on the relics. She would have liked to watch him, but she didn't want to seem rude by doing so. She had been organizing stuff in the pantry when he spoke, surprising her and almost causing her to drop the jar of mixed spices she was holding.

"Trigger, recoil, what? I don't understand the terms you are using, but I do understand that I would need practice. We could go to the training area after I finish my duties for today." Onyx walked back over by Tarentek and decided to watch him now as she to figure out what he was doing.

[EliteCommander]

"Well, if you do want to learn to use it, I would be glad to teach you everything you need to know." Tarentek responded as he began to reassemble one of the pistols with the new parts. This model of pistol did not have near as many parts as his rifle, so it was a fairly simple matter to put it back together. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a way for him to test to see if the weapon worked entirely without actually shooting it. The parts he could test were working, but he wouldn't know for sure until they reached the training grounds.

Tarentek finished up reassembling the pistol, flicked on the safety, then offered it to Onyx. "There you go, it should work now. I won't know for sure until we can test it. There are really just two things I can think of that you'll need to have other than the relic for training: Hearing protection, and, of course, ammo. As I'm sure you know, firearms are very loud, and you can actually damage your hearing with them if you're not careful. With how large your ears are, you might be more vulnerable to them. As for the ammo, the bullets you're looking for are labeled with '9mm.' That is the size of the bullet. Now, I'm pretty much ready to leave, I just need to put the other pistol back together as well. It won't work, of course, but you might be able to find the parts to fix it later. Or, at the very least, you can use it for parts if the good one breaks again."

[Vesuvius00]

"Hearing protection?" Onyx asked. "I've never thought about that before. Also, my ears are not large, they're normal size. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you can hear me at all, seeing as you have no ears." As soon as she said it, Onyx regretted her words, but only slightly.