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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 3:30:43 GMT
The undercurrents of water rippled around Simon and his shadow, at least thirty feet beneath the surface of Lake Moretz. He tried to concentrate harder too keep the barrier strong, but the amount of oxygen in his little pod was running low. Simon needed to surface.
Stretching out as if with some other appendage, Simon reached for the ocean floor with the lower end of his shadow and pushed upwards, stretching the construct until he began to rise. He continued this stretch until his pod broke the surface. Gradually with the surface of the lake, Simon flattened out his shadow to act more like a platform than a pod and stood up to stretch his other appendages. It was getting late in the day and his physical training session was soon to begin as the night gave him even greater power to work with.
When he was fully above the surface of the lake, Simon moved his shadow forward toward the land, cracking his neck as he did. He reached into his pocket and pulled from it his long headband cloth, tying it around his eyes and head to slightly inhibit his artificial sense of sight once more. Agrajag taught him to project his shadow through his eyes to trick his optical nerves into seeing the reflected shadows as general shapes and images, though he could never see color and texture was a rare commodity obtained only with intense focus or help from Agrajag's senses and experience. He silently wondered what 900 years would be like to live and if he'd ever see that kind of time due to the bonding process. Agrajag wasn't exactly clear on how much longer Simon would live than he might have otherwise.
Simon felt his shadow make contact with the shore and he casually stepped off onto it, half wishing that being physically fit could include gliding around on his shadow all day. Letting go of his powers, Simon began to walk toward camp, counting his steps and occasionally reaching out with his shadow to sense the terrain around him.
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Post by LEONORA NIKOLAEVNA on Jun 1, 2015 1:49:50 GMT
Leo didn't know how long she had been sitting there watching.
She had been reading a book up in a tree near the lake, when a black dragon and it's rider appeared at the lake. She lowered her book, leaning back against the trunk to watch the two work. It was a shadow dragon, and its Rider was well practiced it seemed. She watched their training session until the rider stepped off onto the lakeside shore. She recognized him then, as she should have earlier. He was a lieutenant of Excalibur, though his name escaped her.
She placed the book in her back, slowly climbing down the tree as he neared her. "Ahoy there," she called out to him, trying to use a soft tone as to not scare him, though, she was sure he wouldn't be. She made her way to the bottom of the tree and landed on the ground, only a few feet away from him. His shadows were creeping towards her and she reached a hand into it. "How are you, lieutenant?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2015 3:58:44 GMT
It was the rustling of the tree's leaves that tipped Simon off to Lenora's presence. Tactically, he didn't mention that aloud. Had to keep them all guessing! As Simon had noticed, it was rather easy for people to forget how well he could hear. At first, he wondered who had been in the tree due to the fact that he did not have use of his eyes to direct his shadow's actions, though they were not exactly eager to conceal their identity. The individual, bearing a younger woman's voice, greeted him, causing him to pause. He turned his head to "look" directly at her and turned his head to the side. Simon needed a little more data. Feeling the echoes that she created in his outstretched shadows, he smiled, realizing who was there as she spoke up again. " Ahoy, Corporal!" he replied, walking a few steps forward to be just to her right. He paused again and turned his head down, seemingly looking toward his feet. " Eh.. Still doesn't fit." He turned his head back up to face her. " Ya know, Leonora," Simon tapped on his ear as he said her name through a grin. " I think we should stick to our actual names. If I had a mother and were in trouble, she'd call me Lieutenant... ehcgh... it doesn't fit. Please; call me Simon." He held out his hand a foot or two, knuckles out in the olden human tradition of the "fist bump", in hopes that the gesture would be returned. " Though to answer your question, I happen to be doing rather well. Maybe a touch colder than I had hoped... Lake Moretz is no hotspring 30 feet under. How are you?" LEONORA NIKOLAEVNA
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Post by Ryker Tremaine on Jun 6, 2015 7:07:53 GMT
Hidden in the shadows, Ryker carefully watched the two begin to converse. He recognized them from camp, one was Lieutenant ... Simon, was it? The other he believed was Lenora, a Corporal. Still, he found himself unsure and slightly nervous, though no one watching him would be able to tell, except for Selethina, of course. The truth is, even after eight years in Excalibur and constantly being around people, Ryker still felt uncomfortable with crowds or even small gatherings of people. Selethina was trying to help him with that, but Ryker felt positive that this was a trait of his that would never change. He would always feel more comfortable alone than he would around others.
He realized that this was precisely the sort of situation Selethina hoped for when she encouraged Ryker to go to the Lake and find someone to talk to. She hoped he would see people he knew and simply start a conversation with them. However, this was not one of Ryker's talents. He could fight, strategize, and lead, but he never learned how to really talk with others one-on-one or in small groups. Talk to a large group of his soldiers, sure, but talk to people when it wasn't necessary? He could never figure out the right thing to say, so he often found himself the silent, uncomfortable one in a crowd.
After what seemed like ages but was probably only moments, Ryker lowered his gaze to the ground. He knew Selethina would be disappointed in him, but he simply could not walk up to the two of them and start talking. He didn't know what to say and he was too proud to look like a fool as he tried to figure it out. The best thing to do would be to return to camp before they noticed him watching them. Disheartened by his own weakness, he turned to leave.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2015 3:03:17 GMT
To Simon, his own shadow was not unlike a third arm or leg. He could feel it as if it were part of him, because to him, it was. It had taken much training with 'Jag to get that method of thinking straight, but in time it came to serve him well. Also a part of Simon, were his ears. Though more obviously attached than his shadow, Simon's ears were often his first go-to sensory function due to being blind much longer than bonded to a Shadow Dragon. 'Jag tended to be the opposite as he once knew sight. Thus what Simon missed from a semi-nearby shadows, he picked up with his ears.
Hearing the sounds of footsteps traveling in the away direction, Simon tugged down the cloth from around his eyes and turned his pitch-black eyes toward the sound. From there, he simply sent out his own shadow to blend with those around the entity that made the walking sounds. Letting the shadows do the work, he could then see an image that was about as detailed as he needed to uncover who else was nearby.
"You may out-rank me, Ryker," Simon called out in a friendly tone. "but you are not exempt from that last question." He laughed aloud for a moment and added, "Other than your well-being, I had been meaning to talk to you about the latest updates we've heard about the ever-lovely, fascist Dragon Queen and her expendable army's movements. Us fighters could use a better set of eyes on the situation from time to time, heh-heh!"
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Post by Ryker Tremaine on Jun 7, 2015 8:38:06 GMT
Ryker paused and turned around slowly. Of course, he wasn't thinking about that. Naturally, Simon would be able to sense him there, even if he did not see him. Normally Ryker would have been aware of this, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts today.
He strode over to where Simon and Lenora were standing, hoping that they did not sense his hesitation in coming to them. He chuckled, trying to respond in the same playful tone he sensed coming from Simon. "Come now Simon, I may outrank you, but I hope you know that I would never think myself above you in any way." He breathed a little before continuing. Why did talking to people make him so nervous? "And to answer your first question, I am doing quite well today, especially since I'm dry and warm instead of dripping wet." The moment the words were out of his mouth, Ryker wished he could take them back. Sure, he could jest easily with Selethina because he knew that she understood him. However, in Ryker's experience, many people could not tell when he teased them, which led to him unintentionally offending quite a few people. Since he could not take the words back, he hoped Simon sensed his true meaning and would not be offended; he actually felt more comfortable talking with him than he did with most people.
Ryker continued quickly once again, not giving either of his companions the opportunity to speak. Maybe if he changed the subject quickly, they would forget what he just said. Besides, Simon's other question had to do with the one thing Ryker always felt comfortable talking about: The Cause. So he continued comfortably, knowing he could talk well about this. "And to answer your other inquiry, things with the Dragon Queen and her army have been quite slow lately. Selethina and I have not sensed any of her plans but I will say that I feel like something is going to change anyti-" Ryker cut off mid-word when he felt the familiar sensation. He took a deep breath and held it for a few moments as the spot right above his stomach tensed, seemed to plummet and then turned as cold as ice. The first time this happened Ryker was sick for a day, but by now he was used to the sensation and knew what it meant. He was about to have a vision.
Ryker was not as good as Selethina at hiding the fact that he was having visions while they happened, but normally no one around him was able to tell. This time he felt sure that in the very least his companions would be able to tell something was wrong. A small voice in his head wondered if they would realize that he was having a vision.
Ryker watched as the world around him dimmed and he found himself in a place that was black as night. Looking up at the sky, he saw the stars and realized that he was outside, at night. He squinted at the darkness around him, but was unable to see anything, though he could hear movement. Almost as if on command, suddenly there was touch-light everywhere and the battle commenced immediately. Ryker could sense a variety of powerful dragons, it seemed that all the elements would be involved in this battle because of them.
Selethina was better at seeing dragons in her visions and Ryker could focus more easily on the humans, so they both tried to focus on their own kind whenever they had visions. This strategy helped them notice more about it since they both looked at different aspects. Ryker focused on the humans now for those very reasons. The only people he could see were in the midst of battle. He honestly could not tell if they were fighting with the dragons or against them or both. He sensed that he was somewhere in the battle, so he assumed that at least a few other members of Excalibur would be there too. However, there seemed to be too many humans present to have them all be from Excalibur so Ryker had no choice but to assume that some of the fighters were from the Knights of Purity. As he came to realize this, the vision started to fade before his eyes. He could see the nice day in front of him and his companions as well, but he did not focus on them yet.
"Ryker, did you see that," he heard Selethina's voice inside his head. "We need to find Ryagin and Elin immediately. They need to know what we just saw." Her voice was anxious, the same way that Ryker felt inside. That vision brought a deep sadness to him along with the anxiety.
"Of course. I will be there as soon as I can," he assured her. Before turning his attention to Simon and Lenora once again, Ryker pushed away the remnants of his vision. He pushed it to the back of his mind, refusing to think of it again until he was with Selethina, Elin and Ryagin.
He looked first at Simon, then Lenora and wondered what they thought about what they just saw. Did they figure out that it was a vision he just had? He hoped that they did because he did not have the time to explain it now. He had to leave right away. "Something has changed," he muttered under his breath, speaking to the two of them. "I don't know when it will happen or exactly what it is but something is changing and we need to be prepared. My apologies, but I must leave immediately." Ryker turned away from them for the second time that day. However, this time instead of turning away disappointed he was leaving for a purpose, because he had a duty to fulfill and he planned on doing just that.
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Post by LEONORA NIKOLAEVNA on Jun 7, 2015 14:14:41 GMT
Leo couldn't help but give an amused smile at the way Simon insisted that they use one anothers names rather than their titles. "Sorry, Simon," she said as she took a few steps forward to return the "fist bump" that he offered. She glanced over at the lake as he mentioned it's cold temperatures, and gave a short nod, "yeah, I'm not much of a swimmer anyway. Though, shadows are pretty cold-maybe the cold just follows you around?" this comment was meant purely as an assessment, of course. Only a moment later, Simon turned and called out to someone who seemed to be lurking in the trees. As Captain Ryker came out, Leo was suddenly in Excalibur Corporal mode again. "Captain Ryker," she said, giving a short salute. She stood silent as he answered Simons inquiries. Suddenly, Ryker stopped moving and seemed to tense up all over. Leonora, being a field medic and generally the nicest person on the planet, found herself running to his side. She reached an arm out but didn't touch him, not yet. When he came out of it announcing that he needed to leave, she gingerly place a hand on his elbow as he turned away, "wait, Captain, can we help?" she offered, turning to Simon for assistance, recognition or whatever he had to say. @phoenix Ryker Tremaine
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Post by Ryker Tremaine on Jun 13, 2015 2:00:58 GMT
Ryker startled slightly when he felt someone touch his elbow. He turned around smoothly, acknowledging that it was Lenora. Of course it was, she was probably concerned about his strange behavior. She was a medic, after all. She asked if she could help and Ryker thought for a moment about how he should respond.
He smiled to reassure her that he was well. He wanted to take a step away so she wouldn’t be touching him, but that was mostly because he wasn’t used to physical contact with anyone. Still, he remained where he was so as to not make her feel uncomfortable about touching him.
“I’m sorry, that was a bit abrupt. Let me explain a little. I just had a vision, which is why I was behaving strangely. I’m perfectly well, I simply wanted to find Selethina so I could discuss the vision with her. Thank you for your concern, Corporal Lenora but I am completely well.” In his mind, there was no need to concern them by telling them that he was really searching for Elin and Ryagin. If anyone in the camp heard about him having a vision and rushing off to find the Chiefs, panic would almost certainly take control. He wondered if Lenora and Simon would ask more questions or if they’d let him go with that explanation.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2015 4:45:58 GMT
So that was what Ryker had been up to when he went so silent... A vision. " I believe Leonora's question still stands, if not in different context." Simon suggested. He asked the question again. " Is there anything we can do to help, regarding your vision?" Simon paused for a thoughtful moment. " Should we discuss? Mount up for a fight? Run for cover? Or get training?" As he spoke, Simon summoned to his right hand his own shadow. The vaguely person-shaped shadow warped quickly into four separate curving blades that wrapped around his forearm about an inch above his sleeve. Simon grinned at his construct, setting the spiraling blades into a gentle spin and stretching them out so that their points extended beyond his hand. He felt practically ready for anything. " To answer your other question, Leonora," Simon added. " I think you'd be surprised at just how warm the shadows can be if you let them." LEONORA NIKOLAEVNARyker Tremaine
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Post by Ryker Tremaine on Jun 16, 2015 22:46:47 GMT
Ryker thought for a moment, not entirely sure how he should respond to Simon's question. How much should he tell them. He didn't want to talk about the details of the vision, not until he spoke with Selethina, Elin and Ryagin but Simon wasn't really asking for details, was he?
"I would encourage you to train. I'm not sure when, but it looks like there may be a battle sometime in the near future and you may want to be prepared for it." Ryker hesitated, not sure if he said too much or not. Then he decided he didn't care. He trusted Simon and Lenora and he knew Elin trusted them as well. He would only ask one more thing of them. "However, I do ask that both of you not tell anyone I had a vision, and especially not one of a battle. When the time is right, that information will be shared with everyone in Excalibur." He waited patiently for their responses.
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Post by LEONORA NIKOLAEVNA on Jun 29, 2015 19:26:37 GMT
Leo couldn't help but let a small smirk play across her lips as Simon made the comment about shadows being warm if you let them. If she was a more outgoing sort of being, she may have made some playful retort to that comment, but alas she was not. She would just sound quite silly and probably terrified, she had no idea how to deal with playful banter of any kind. Sometimes she surprised herself, but rarely.
Leo nodded as Ryker explained what they should do. "At least let us help you get to your companion, Captain. As much fun as these woods are, there are some unsavory characters willing to stalk riders with the intention of hurting their dragon friends. With Simon here sensing the shadows, we should be able to help you get there safely," not that she doubted Rykers ability to handle himself, but she did want to offer a little added protection.
She moved to stand beside Simon, gesturing forward, "so, lead the way, Captain," she said, her tone low and respectful, even if she was being a little stubborn.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 2:47:14 GMT
Simon appreciated Leonora's initiative in the situation. Even the route to and from the lake could be treacherous. With all that was already brewing and Ryker's latest vision, the wise choice was to cut training short. There were bigger things at hand! He quickly agreed,
"Aye. What Leonora says is smart. Keep your thoughts on the future, Captain Ryker. Don't let any part of that vision slip your mind, and we'll make sure it reaches Chief Elin's ears."
With that he flexed his arm, retracting the rotating blades seemingly into his arm. His shadow reformed on his side as a Old Oriental-style Katana, floating in it's shadowed sheath. Simon replaced the dark cloth around his eyes and grinned.
Walking toward Ryker, he asked, "Shall we?"
-fin-
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