LupusIntus

Rites of Passage

Dakin followed Brisa right on her heals until she pointed to the cellar where she'd said Dorn had been left. They'd locked it, she'd said, to stop the wildlife from taking the bodies but it was not the way Dorn would have wanted. He grabbed the key from her without so much as a word and nearly risked breaking it off in the lock when he jammed it in and forced it to twist, yanking the portal open and being greeted with the faint musty odor of death. The boy's bright hazel eyes gave her one last glance before disappearing into the dank cellar.

It was cool in the underground room and the light streaming through the entrance cast yellow beams filled with millions of dancing dust particles. In the gloom he could see the bodies laid out but his eyes immediately went to the largest of the three. Dakin approached slowly, his breath coming in ragged gasps though he'd been telling himself he wouldn't cry since his hand grasped the door's handle, and he looked over the gray, stiff features of the man who had been a father too him for the past ten years. He could feel the emotions rising up in his chest like a flood and he grabbed at his heart as if trying to stop them from overflowing out of his very being. Tears glistened in his eyes but he refused to let them fall and in his defiance sought only to bury that sorrow with something else, something more powerful.

It was a red hot fury that was so strong and so sudden it caused every muscle in his body to tense.

With a bestial roar, he lashed out at everything around him; his pounded his fists violently on the walls and when blood began to trickle from his knuckles he grabbed at the various pots and jars that lined the dusty wooden shelves and sent them smashing against the floor. After a short time his energy was spent and he collapsed to his knees before the body of the man who had raised him and only then, in his weakened state, did he realize that such wild anger was just what his mentor had spent so many years training him to control. Unable to keep his other feelings at bay, this thought alone tipped the balance and his tears could no longer be held back.

He wept on hands and knees.

His rage spent and his eyes dried out, Dakin finally managed to regain his feet and was once again thinking clearly. Though he understood what Brisa was trying to do, hiding the bodies in the cool cellar and away from the buzzards that flew in from the desert, she was ignorant of the ways of a druid. It was the natural order for a body to feed the wild and even when a druid was buried with ceremony they were never put into a coffin or left in a tomb. Stumbling back into the morning sunlight, he squinted through blurry eyes but still made for the side of the baker's house. There he found a small wooden hand-cart, one that could be easily drawn by a single person, and when he managed to maneuver it over to the cellar door he went about the arduous process of getting the body of the massive man onto it. Dakin was strong, a well built and well trained youth, but Dorn had still been over a foot taller and likely over a foot wider. Still, through determination and a lot of struggle he eventually had the body hanging just off the edge of the cart. He didn't need to go far from the wall to find a suitable area of bog, one that would take and cover the whole corpse, for though he knew in his heart Dorn would have welcomed the buzzards, Dakin still didn't like the thought of something gnawing on his foster father's bones. Finding a decent sized stone, Dakin carefully weighted the body by tieing it into Dorn's simple clothes and, without grace of ceremony, pulled the body into the cloudy water. It sank quickly and within a matter of moments of shroud of green algae was separating them, the living from the dead.

Dakin watched until the water had stilled and the sound of the moor insects droned on in his head. He didn't bother bringing the cart back, leaving it beside that pool as a sort of grave-marker; though it was significant only to him; and after retrieving his staff and re-locking the cellar he made his way back to the other children with pant-legs still dripping, eyes lightly bloodshot and knuckles covered in dried blood. Brisa was taking charge again, which was unsurprising to Dakin though there was much he did not know about her, and it was clear they were preparing to leave. The apprentice made no objections, even when the stranger boy with the horse chimed in, and remained silent near the back of the gathering. With Dorn gone there was nothing left for him in Twiddledale and he had no other family or friends he could turn to in the rest of Faerun so it did not matter where they went, though after a moment he did have a thought. "We need to find whoever did this... If they're sticking to the roads to the west and stopping to prey on the small towns then perhaps we can catch up with them. I have some of Dorn's maps..." He pulled the hand-bound book from his pack but didn't mention that he could read the symbols found on them. "Maybe those will show us where they're headed next?"

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

When more of the Signal Academy students began arriving at the landing pad Kalimay instinctively withdrew into herself and, for the first time since arriving at Beacon, silently watched the various exchanges as interactions between the incredibly diverse group of students who would make up her grade for the next four years. Reya's kind greeting made her blink a bit, surprising her with its seeming genuine kindness, and she even offered a shy smile with her mumbled return. When the ship arrived, she slipped on quickly and quietly to be alone with her own thoughts which did a marvelous job of suppressing the jittery butterflies that were filling her stomach in preparation for the coming test. It was not the risk of death or dismemberment at the hands of some foul black-hearted grimm that was worrying, she was confident in her father's combat teachings, but rather the thought of being bonded to a fellow student as partners for the next four years.

Who would it be? Would they like her? Would they get along? Would they be friends? Would they sing songs together? What if they didn't like fireworks? What if it was someone from Signal Academy? Would that be as bad as she imagined?

These questions and a dozen others buzzed through KK's mind as they took off and she watched the academy grounds disappear behind a wall of hazy clouds. It wasn't long before the academy master took the stage again and the W.A.T.C.H.'s were distributed. She poked hers a few times, giggling at the tingly sensation it made when she stuck it around her left wrist, and was delighted at the range of colorful lights it displayed. It gave her a very nice display of her aura, a blue bar with several scrolling numbers and graphs that she didn't even pretend to understand and then there was the very handy map. With a bit of quick fiddling and random button pressing, she was able to get up a list of the other students and even registered her 'friends', Alistair and Sayuri, so that their blips could be located more easily on the readout. After a long moment of deliberation, she even registered Reya, though they hadn't spoken past the greeting that morning. Something about her gave Kalimay just a smidgen of hope that maybe she could be friends with her old classmates, as if doing so would make them friends retrospectively and therefore make her Signal days not be so painful to remember. Returning more to her 'normal' self, she began bouncing excitedly as the speech concluded and students began preparing to for the trial.

Doing one last inspection of BRIK-Breaker, she added a little weapon oil from a small bottle produced from one of her pouches to the motors within the flail head. Pleased, she had just slung the weapon over a shoulder along when the entire room apparently 'detached' and began hurtling towards the earth. "It's starting!" Her light, musical voice chimed in glee to mix with the chorus of alarmed cries as several students around her began to realize they could soon become a pasty mess on the ground far below. As fear and excitement spread among the class, a great crowd of people began clogging the exits that had opened to the rushing air and Kalimay, small in stature as she was, feared she may have to get creative with the walls and windows in the area when she glanced up and spotted Alistair slipping through a hole in the ceiling. "Alistair! Wait up!" She called out as he disappeared but in the chaos she doubted he'd heard her and so, slinging BRIK-Breaker off her shoulder, her face crinkled into a stern look of pure determination... that ended up being quite comical on her innocent, child-like features. With the pressing of several buttons, the weapon itself began to change: the handle doubling in length while its layered internal components began to unfold, widening the hilt until it formed a long, hollow, tube about as big around as Kalimay's forearm. With a soft whirring, and internal motor activated and the chain and attached flail head were drawn into one end of the weapon until the jagged tear-drop shaped piece of metal was plugging the hole. Flipping out a small grip on one side of the tube and a circular iron-site on the other, an indentation in the center fit snugly over her right shoulder as she aimed the flail-head end at the ceiling. "Fire in the hole!" Kalimay called cheerfully as the flail-become-RPG fired, causing several nearby students to dive for cover, and the now dust-propelled flail-rocket hurtled towards the hole in the ceiling. Much to the relief of those nearby, the rocket did not explode, KK instead choosing to let the large piece of metal punch through the hull near the hole through which Alistair exited.

With the quick press of another button, the chain was drawn in and Kalimay zipped towards her escape route.

Climbing out the hole, her long braid whipped in the howling wind and the air was nearly sucked from her lungs by the changing pressure. Wrenching her weapon free as it folded back into its usual form, the petite girl crawled over the surface of she room as carefully as she could manage so as not to get ripped off and flung into free fall alongside the death-trap. Her squinting eyes spotted Alistair not to far from her but before she could even try to call out, though she realized the sound would almost certainly be lost, he activated a strange device on the metal surface and was flung away from the ship. She watched in awe as his form arched into the distance until he was lost among the landscape and with several mouthed 'Me next!'s that no one was around to not be able to hear anyway, she quickly followed his example. Teeth clenched in a brilliant smile of anticipating she mashed the largest red button on the controls and the experienced the most wild, exciting, and only slightly feeling of her entire life.

Kalimay had no idea where she went in relation to the 'ship', being so lost in the sensation of becoming a human cannonball as she was flung far into the open air. She arched gracefully, arms tucked at her sides and hands gripping her weapon with whitened knuckles, and began her full decent towards what appeared to be a large forested area. It was at this time that the spunky young girl realized she would likely need some suitable means of slowing her fall lest she hit the ground with a bit more force than was 'healthy. Letting battle instincts take over, she twisted her body to manipulate her direction and veered towards a rather tall and sturdy looking tree with few thick branches. With the press of a button she drew in the chain and then, with a careful flick of her wrist, she sent it outward, letting the chain run out to freely. Another button made a few large 'claws' extend from the flail head's base, often used as fins to keep it flying straight in rocket form, and they caught against the bark as she passed, pulling her around the giant trunk. It was a risky and maneuver, but with several careful twists of her body she avoided the more dangerous branches as her momentum dropped with each circle around the tree. The chain neared maximum length after the third time around and she came dangerously close to twisting straight into the tree trunk, but before that could happen she let go of the weapon and dropped the last dozen feet to the ground where her aura was able to soak up the force of the now 'softened' landing.

"Yahoo!" Kalimay coughed, as she struggled up onto shaky legs while brushing off the bits of twigs and leaves stuck to her skirt. "I wonder if I can get one of those installed outside of my dorm room... I'd never be late for class again!" The initial rush of adrenalin wearing off, she took a quick note of her surroundings and found herself in the midst of many large trees and cheerful bird calls of your typical lightly-wooded forest. Her large eyes blinked in wonder at the majesty of the nature around her but her heart beat a little louder as she noticed the sudden lack of voices or human presence of any kind.

It was a new, and slightly unpleasant, sensation.

"No problem, Kalimay. No problem!" She muttered, not really believing herself but finding a bit of comfort in the sound of her own voice. "Just grab BRIK-Breaker and start walking and you'll find your friends in no time!" This, however, would prove to be easier said than done as she realized that the flail claws had not withdrawn after she released the handle, likely do to them becoming jammed as they gripped the tree-bark, and that the chain had become caught on a branch she had passed. This left the weapon handle hanging several feat out of the tiny girl's reach. "Damn..." Was all she muttered as she began attempting to scamper up the trunk to reach the hilt and failing rather miserably.

Location: Forest

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

Out of the hospital. Yay!

Just a tip for you all: while living in Japan, do NOT get so sick/dehydrated with the flu that you have to spend several days in the hospital.
ESPECIALLY do not do this if you speak no Japanese.

Krayzikk said
He mentioned something similar to me, but I figured I'd inquire for opinions here as well. I think Lupus mentioned that he was in the hospital a couple dozen pages back, yeah.So that'd make Alistair and Kiora one pair, and KK and Lyndsey the other. Everyone... Which I suppose is Asura and I... Alright with that setup? On a similar note, do we want to set up a group PM or something to discuss names?

Omg, Asura actually SUBMITTED a character!?
I must have been gone for while. XD

Setup sounds good to me. Posting coming ASAP.

Rites of Passage

Dakin watched the boys exchange words over the wall until finally a ladder was offered to the newcomer, a young one just like the rest. He thought it strange how only the children would remain in the village after everyone else was 'taken', though there were indeed several village children not accounted for. What were they to do? Who were they to ask for help? Where were they to start looking? These questions and many more buzzed through his mind and caused his brow to furrow, his concentration only being broken when Brisa's voice broke the relative silence with an alarmed shout. She looked frantic, winded, with wide eyes and paled features but before he could begin to question her distress she was already speaking about finding Dorn, or rather his corpse.

The boy blinked for a moment as the thought took time to register in his mind but when the horrifying news took purchase every muscle in his body went tense. Completely oblivious to the newcomer or the other children, he stepped forward quickly and one hand grasped at Brisa's shoulder while the other tightened around the staff until its knuckles turned white. "Where?!" Was all he hissed, the blood pounding loudly through his ears and the world starting to go a bit fuzzy. "Where is he?!"

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

Hey all,

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've been out cold with the flu for over a week, in and out of the hospital. I'll do what I can to get caught up and make a post today!

Rites of Passage

Yes, I'm really sorry all but Astarael is right: I've been out with the flu and have been hospitalized twice in the last week and a half.

I will do what I can to get a post up tonight

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha!

cumshot reference...

Rites of Passage

Poor Dorn... he lived a good, long life... probably.

I think Dakin's gonna lose his shit.

Beacon's Light: Rising - OOC (RWBY)

Kalimay Kay woke in the most blissful of moods; the memories of the previous day, of meeting her new friends and classmates, still fresh in her mind. She showered and dressed quickl:, long purple and black striped tights with a black skirt that was short and easy to move in, a silver belt around her waist holding a few small pouches, and a dark purple sleeveless top. Her high soprano voice echoed through the locker room as she sang another hit pop song while carefully wrapping her waist-length hair into a tight, complicated braid that was very functional in combat situations, seemingly unaware of the strange looks several other female students were giving her. When that was finished, she headed towards the docks with BRIK-Breaker slung over her shoulder in her usual fashion, stopping only to buy an extremely large banana-nut muffin from one of the vendors which she proceeded to stuff into her mouth with several bites that were far too large. This food did not stop her from singing, as it were, and occasionally chunks of muffin would go flying whenever she got to a particularly energetic chorus.

Skipping up the steps to the large dock, KK's large eyes lit up when she spotted Sayuri already waiting and, with a great bound, she quickly closed the distance and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Goo'mo'in Sa'u'i!" She sang with a mouth full of muffin. Of course, it was at this moment that she noticed the person with whom Sayuri was talking, a girl from Signal Academy no less, and with a quick blink of surprise she swallowed hard and shrank back behind her friend's thin frame. "Oh... s-sorry... I-I didn't see you... G-good morning, Reya..." Her voice was soft and weak, as if on the verge of breaking, but she managed a polite smile while her gaze became stuck to the ground. Seeing another classmate from her Alma mater brought back a wave of unpleasant memories, of the bullying that she had experienced, and although Reya had never once been part of the group that had tormented KK for nearly six years, it was hard not regress simply at the memories the sight of her brought back.

Rites of Passage

As the night dragged on, the concerned voices of the others getting softer and softer until it was clear that most had fallen asleep or at least sank into their own silent thoughts but Dakin knew such rest would not find him so easily. He could feel the tension of the world around him, the disharmony in the very order of nature cause by... whatever it was that had stricken their village. For a moment he thought about expressing this feeling to the others but he doubted they would understand simply because it was coming from a feeling of connection they had never experienced. Besides, Dakin did realize that trying to explain it might do more harm than good if it did nothing but add to their worries.

After what felt like hours, the apprentice finally sat cross-legged in the corner of the room and started a meditation that Dorn had taught him only a few weeks before. First his breathing became slow and even, an action that took him far longer to learn than he'd care to admit, and after many long moments he began to feel the energies around him. In a way, they were like invisible threads stretching from his soul to the living world in a crisscrossing weave so complex and intricate that it was impossible to comprehend more than little chunks, even for master druids. Dakin could only feel his own threads, everything else forming into a tangled blur, though over the years he'd been slowly distinguishing more and more of them through his training.

Sinking deeper into the meditative trance he began to see what had been causing the uneasy feeling; strange gaps in the tangle, tiny holes of nothing; but before he could even begin to try and puzzle out the cause he was brought back to reality by Brisa's shout. His eyes flying open, he was on his feet just as Thovren issued an order to stay put and followed the girl outside. Dakin blinked a moment in confusion but quickly snatched up his staff and headed out after the crossbow-wielding boy, knowing well that he could handle himself if there was trouble. Where as the others seemed to be quite frantic and suspicious of whoever was outside the gate, the apprentice showed no such worries; he appeared perfectly calm and collected as he followed them with his staff leaning against his shoulder. "I would think that whatever was powerful enough to just take everyone wouldn't necessarily need to knock on the front door and ask if anyone's home..."