Zack/S1Lude11

Five focuses his soul on the essence of life and death, looking for Syla, who has dematerialized, during the journey.

Five Pillars finds her hovering near one of the mounts, looking pensive as she flows near the ground. She glances every now and then towards the direction of The Lap, hrming a bit to herself as she taps her chin with a finger.

Five_Pillars speaks, in old Realm, so as to ensure privacy. "Blessed Wind Warden. What trouble thee?"

She glances up, blinking a couple of times before she responds in the same language, floating over towards Five Pillars. "Just thoughts about the deathknights. We weren't expecting it to be swarming with zombies even if they did make a move."

Five_Pillars says "Truly, a most unfortunate occurance. Thou could not have expected such, truly. Though Soran may, perhaps, have known better, having known Laria."

She shakes her head once, frowning some more as she flows around you. "Mayhap. He played a role in each and everyone of her failures however, and her support was reduced. Then she ambushes us with a full command and another deathknight."

Five_Pillars says "Did you know?"

She raises an eyebrow as she flows over your shoulder, her face floating in front of yours. "About?"

Five_Pillars says "All the things Soran kept hidden from us? Tha Ciel was an especial tagrte of their ire? That Soran was a paper tiger, locked behind a binding beyond what the greatest of the dragonblooded could work? That there were, apparently, spies in Sorans organization?"

She closes her eyes as she flows in front of you. "I knew about Ciel's situation. I was also quite intimately aware about Soran's. As far as spies go, however, I was caught just as off guard as the rest of us."

Five_Pillars nods, once. "And what binds you, Blessed Wind? Surely your heavenly mandate is not being Soran's Guardian god."

She opens her eyes, blinking a couple of times. "It doesn't. That job I'd be very wary of." She sighs, shaking her head. "If you want to know, I demand an oath to secrecy. It doesn't go any farther to anyone."

Five_Pillars says "Ciel being gone, I suppose you'll have to take my word for it." He nods, once, solemnly. "So do I swear."

She nods once. "I'll know if you break it, old man." She manages faint grin before she settles a bit, not flowing about nearly as much. "Has he told you about the Wyld Hunt that seperated him and Laria and led to Laria's death?"

Five_Pillars says "Some."

She nods once. "The reason why the Wyld Hunt was able to discover them after they began moving when the seals were first placed was because I gave away their location to them in exchange for them not destroying me. It was due to that agreement that Laria was killed and then stolen by the Mask of Winters. I managed to catch up with Soran after he eluded the Hunt, and have been helping him since then because of that. It still doesn't sit well, even centuries after the fact."

Five_Pillars shrugs. "If you hadn't agreed, you'd have reformed by now, but Soran probably would have died many times over. How long will you continue to punish yourself? He certainly doesn't blame you. If not you, then another spirit. He's not very ... sutble."

She shakes her head. "He doesn't know, yet. You saw what happened in The Lap. He broke two of the seals because of that. If he found out the only reason I've been helping him out is because I was the cause of that entire mess, well... You saw what he almost did to Laria."

Five_Pillars says "Ultimately, it was his own actions that brought the Wyld Hunt down. You pointed a finger, but you've attoned for that, in blood, and in sacrifice. Tell me. How did your last promotion board go? I'm suprised you're not all scaly by now."

She raises an eyebrow before giggling a bit. "It hasn't come up just yet. Soon though. Very soon. Of course, at that point I'll have a bit of a harder time being able to stick with you guys."

Five_Pillars says "Assuming you get promoted. How's your domain been doing?"

Five_Pillars says "I know heavens not what it used to be, but even still. You spend alot of time playing hooky."

She mms a bit as she flows around you, her form elongating and shifting as she does so. "It has been better. It has been plenty worse in the past as well. Most of the paper work I dealt with while in the Half Past had to do with my domain." She winks as her face flows past. "I get work done whenever I can, really."

Five nods. "Fair enough." He considers a moment. "You should tell Soran."

She frowns, shivering a bit. "About the Hunt?"

He nods. "Yes." He begins to bring up his defenses, as he speaks. "I will go with you. Should he forget himself."

She closes her eyes, nodding once. "Right then. I'll have to manifest though. He quite back to even where he was when you all met him though." With that, she flows off of you and takes a material shape next to you, taking a few deep breaths. "I'm probably going to smack you for this later, I hope you realize."

Five_Pillars finishes assuming his defenses, and assumes water dragon form casually. "Stick by me, and if you need to get out of the way."

Five_Pillars heads on over to Soran, with Syla in tow.

She follows, looking quite reluctant about this whole business.

Soran is still leaning against his pack, eyes closed at the moment.

Five_Pillars lets Syla speak, standing a half step to one side, waiting in silenc,e but prepared to interspose himself, should the need be.

She shoots Five a look that quite plainly gets across her feeling that this is a Bad Idea before she crouches beside Soran, nudging him a bit. "Hey. Soran. Wake up for a moment, will ya?" Soran stirs a bit, opening his eyes and blinking a couple of times. "Huh? Oh. What's up, Syla?"

Five_Pillars waits, his nerves on the razor's edge

Syla bites her lip for a few moments before tossing Five another Look before she pushes on ahead of it. "Recent... events conviced me that it is about time I told you this." Soran raises an eyebrow slightly, shifting a bit as he listens. "I'm the one who gave away the place you and Laria were using as a hideout, after the Wyld Hunt cornered me for information." Soran blinks once before he stares at Syla, unmoving.

Five_Pillars says "How many years, and how many lives, Soran? How long has she served you, in her attempts at penance? How many times has she saved /you/ or even someone like Diamond from becoming another Laria? How much longer will you allow her to suffer for a mistake made long ago?"

Syla watches Soran closely while Five speaks, still looking worried. Soran glances back and forth between the two of you closing his eyes as he rubs his forehead. "So the reason why they found us was because you tipped them off?" Syla nods once.

Soran sighs, nodding. "I... see. I need some time to think about this." He pushes himself to his feet, a bit unsteady still. He glances around before turning and beginning to walk, looking up at the skies as he does so. Syla stands, watching him go before glancing over at Five.

Five_Pillars nods to her. "I'll go make sure he's alright."

Five_Pillars follows Soran, staying a respectable distance away, but close enough for Soran to talk to, if he so chooses.

Syla nods once, watching you go as well. Meanwhile, Soran keeps walking for a good while before finally stopping a fair distance away from the camp as he keeps his gaze focused on the sky. After a few minutes of silence he speaks. "I suppose this is how you all felt when the deathknights showed up for Ciel."

Five_Pillars says "How do you mean?"

Soran shrugs. "Secrets that you would have prefered to have known from the start and the like." He holds out his hand, and in and instant the golden grand daiklaive is there, being spun around idly. "You were afraid I was going to attack her, weren't you?"

Five_Pillars shrugs. "I remember the first age." he looks around. "In fact." He points to a massive, cratered cliff face over in the distance, long wince weathered down. "I did that. A long time ago."

Soran raises an eyebrow as he glances at where you indicate. "...I see." He gives the daiklaive a few more practice swipes, frowning.

Five_Pillars says "How old /are/ you, Soran? In this life?"

Soran continues with his practice routine, closing his eyes. "I must admit I'm vaguely curious to why you want to know."

Five_Pillars says "Because you remind me of someone, and because the one who was Lotus Blossoming in the Twilight Sunset wants to know."

Five_Pillars speaks in old realm, not the formal style in which he was tutored, but a far more fluid, natural style.

He whips the blade around in another fluid form as he speaks in the same language. "Lotus Blossoming in the Twilight Sunset, you say?" The blade whips around again, inches from your face as Soran is suddenly there, before he returns to a normal routine. "Your actions caused a great deal of death, during the betrayal. Enough that the Deathlords had yet another foothold once they showed themselves."

Five_Pillars says "None of us were proud of who we ere when we forced the ursupation."

Five_Pillars says "I got the chance to begin again. Allow yourself that chance. Let the past go, and forgive Syla. She has borne a burden that was not of her making for many years."

Soran continues with his practice, whirling as he slashes through the air. He definitetly knows how to use that thing, at any rate. "Perhaps... it is difficult, to say the least, to let go, even after all that time however."

Five_Pillars says "Tell me. Would any other spirt in that corrupt age have even considered twice?"

Soran manages a faint grin as he continues. "Probably not."

Five_Pillars says "So." He says "Let her go." He says "Trust me. When the ursupations came, none of us were righteous."

Soran nods as he halts his practice routine, banishing the blade back into thin air. "I'll forgive her, then." He glances over at Five, raising an eyebrow. "I'm curious to why this was of interest to you, though."

Five_Pillars shrugs. "No man is an island. Especially not one like you, who's getting old. And slow."

He raises an eyebrow at Five, crossing his arms. "'Slow'?"

Five_Pillars grins, as he assumes the Water Dragon stance. "Slow. You didn't think I'd rick letting Syla piss off an Exalt who knew what he was doing, did you?" He grins. "I bet you'd throw your back out the sparring match you got into."

He raises an eyebrow slightly as the grand daiklave reappears in his hand. "Hm. You sure about that, young one?" He grins, uncrossing his arms as he settles himself.

Five_Pillars says "My Soul is ancient." His anima flares around him. "And besides. You're getting too old for this."

Soran smirks. "Think what you will."

Five_Pillars nods, as his hand whips out at Soran.

Soran snaps up his blade in an instant as essense flares up around his form, guiding his blade so Five's attack strikes the flat of the blade. "A bit slow, my friend." He grins before whirling as he launches into a threefold counterstrike.

Five_Pillars flares his anima around him, Pillars of Moonsilver, Jade, and Starmetal taking the blows, in turn. "Weak. You sure you're feeling okay?"

Soran grins. "Well, I have this strange problem with seals on most of my power..." Essense flares around his form again, flowing through his body and around as a brilliant aura before the grand daiklaive seems to move impossibly fast, lashing out with five attacks, each at full force. [ Five_Pillars catches each in turn, with a swirling pillar from his anima, though the last is only barely blocked by the wailing soulsteel pillar at the last instant, as Five sweats, slightly. "Not bad" He admits.

Five_Pillars lashes out three times, his hands moving with the speed of a racing mountain stream, skipping back and forth, a left, and a left, and a right, like a babbling brook, flowing off Soran's parries and into him again.

Soran snaps up his own blade to weave a dizzying series of essense guided blocks, grinning. "This is downright sloppy for me, really."

Five_Pillars says "That's why I'm taking it easy on you."

He blinks as two strikes slip by the blade and smash against him before blinking again as he raises an eyebrow at Five. "Taking it easy, eh? Well in that case..." Soran's anima suddenly flares up, a raging inferno of golden flames as he draws back with his blade as the flames engulf it as well. "I suppose I just need to get back in the swing of things!" Suddenly the essense laden blade snaps forward in another five hit combinatiom. Each of them bite deep, even with the restraint he is showing.

Five_Pillars blocks them with his anima, the orichalchum pillar glowing brighter, as it and the other pillars each take a blow.

Five_Pillars grins. "Tricky old man." He attacks again with a flurry of blows, like windblown rain, feints and attacks blurring into a tempest which rains down on his opponnent.

Soran continues grinning as he lets whirls the blade about in a dizzying series of circles to bat away each and everyone one of Five's blows.

The fires of his anima flare up again as he brings forth even more of his mastery into play. "If I was able to use some of my better techniques, this would be even better. I'll make do with what I have though." The area around the two becomes engulfed in flames as Soran lashes out once with his blade. At that instant however five blows impact against Five as another multiattack strikes, with a familiar bite.

The flames remain as he draws back, his caste mark glowing brilliantly as he watches Five with wary eyes.

Five_Pillars does not move, as each pillar, in turn, absorbs the force of a blow as the daiklave passes through it, weakening their impacts. "You know. This isn't exactly /easy/ you know. That's an awfully big hunk of metal."

Soran shrugs as he grins. "That's pretty much the point of it though, Five."

Five_Pillars strikes again and again, wearing down his oponnents defenses like the hailstorms of the north, when frozen water rains down like metoers, shatterng bones, and tools, and houses.

Soran snaps his blade around again in another dizzying wheel of parries. The flames flow with his blade as he does so, and with each parry a suddenly slash from a blade of fire resembling his daiklaive is seen and felt!

The assualt doesn't abate as he whirls the blade around and around, letting it lash out three times as he grins. "Nice, very nice." He whirls as three more strikes ring out against Five. "How long can your pillars last, though?" He whirls, lashing out with one final strike. "Against an unending onslaught?"

Five_Pillars smiles, serenely. "Each blow you make only strengthenes my resolve. And my energies. To the one who can master himself, mastering the attacks of others comes as second nature."

Five_ Pillars musters his essence, the power of the fluid, water, which is the basis of all life, curling around his hands, as he executes a single perfect blow, like a raindrop falling in the center of a still pond, sending ripplines cascading through Soran's body, if it hits.

Soran whips his blade around to deflect the strike again in a whirlwind of flames before another blade of flame lashes out at Five in the same instant.

Soran hms a bit as the blade whips around for another multiple strike. "You aren't bad though. I'll give you that for sure."

<Five_Pillars> Five says "Are you /sure/ you're not just getting too old for this?"

Five_Pillars blocks each of them, though the effort is beginning to tell. Still, at the rate Soran is spending combos, he thinks he's still ahead. By a little.

Five_Pillars considers, and lashes out twice, with the left hand of the temptest, and the right hand of the crashing wave, battering against his oponnent like the storms batter the reefs, leaving only sand behind.

Soran frowns as the grand daiklaive brings itself up along the paths of essense to batter away each blow, not letting his defenses be eroded by the constant waves of assault.

Soran raises an eyebrow as he gets nicked again, hrming. "Far far too sloppy." His eyes narrow as the flames close in around him. He smirks as he draws back before suddenly unleashing yet another seven fold strike against Five, letting the anger and rage of ages past flow with each blow as well.

Five winces. "That one stung, a little."

Five attacks again, his blows sliding through his enemies defensises like water, and then hardening like ice, before they strike.

Soran grins slightly. "You're a tough -" He snaps up the blade in a flurry of deflection katas, prefering not to get another nick just yet. "Nut to crack."

He hrms as he draws back. "One last pass for each of us. Otherwise we'll be here until time itself ends." He grins as tendrils of flames swirl around him before fully igniting as his anima is fully unleashed. The flames of the Unconquered Sun take various forms of Soran before suddenly he lashes out in five strokes. With each strike essense flares up, and for a time it looks like a new sun has risen, right in front of you.

Each strike carries with it the bite of the fury of the Sun itself within the blade of the grand daiklaive, barely visible in the flames.

He draws back, flames dancing around him and his blade as he awaits.

Five_Pillars burns essence like it's going out of style, strengthening his body even further, as his anima deflects the worst of the attack.

Five_Pillars attacks again, twice, hammering into his foe. Like the waves, eh ahs exhausted his oppnenets resources. Princes among men, and sorcerers may expend vast amounts of time and money to stop the waves, but in the end, all are finite. The waves, however, are not, ad just as the west erodes creation a little more each moment, he strikes.

Soran snaps up his flame laden blade as he moves with the fluidity of the raging inferno around him, moving to extinguish each assualt. As he moves to block, a blade of flame essense leaps from his blade to strike against Five yet again.

Five_Pillars pauses, a moment, as he considers his foe. He says "You must have been fearsome, before the binding."

He grins faintly as he is nicked before letting his anima and the blade begin to disappear, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I suppose that'd be a way to describe me. You, however, are one that refuses to crumble no matter what." He grins as he straightens, looking exhausted but satisfied. "I have a request of a sort for you, if you'll deign to hear it."

Five_Pillars considers, as he steps out fo water dragon form, shrugging, and letting the practiced movements of the form slide off his like water from a roof.

He manages a faint grin. "No matter what the future holds for this group, remain as stalwart as ever. They will need your support, especially with recent events and what probably awaits you all, in this Age."

Five_Pillars nods. "I can't hold them against their will. But I will not abandon them."

Soram nods as his anima continues to quiet itself to just a smoldering flame. "That is all I ask, friend." He grins as he holds out his hand. "Even if we part ways at Gem, I must say it has been an honor to meet you."

Five_Pillars says "Will you stay in Gem, then?"

Five_Pillars holds out his hand, and shakes Soran's.

Soran considers for a few moments. "I will be staying there for a time, at least. I can't say for how long, since it'll depend on how long they'll have me."

Five_Pillars nods. "I will have to talk to the others, and see where out path's lead us. I suspect to the South, however. Camel's parents are still down there, and it will take us away fom population centers, for a time."

Soran nods. "I owe him assistance with rescuing his parents as well, if he'll have me."

Five shrugs. "We'll see once we reach Gem." He says "I bear you no ill will, but I swore to help rescue The Lap for you. A goal which seems, at the moment, increasingly distant."

Soran glances up at the night skies. "One thing that we have an abundance of is time, at least." Five hears footsteps behind him before Syla's voice is heard. "Are you two done making the sun rise again?"

Five_Pillars raises an eyebrow. "I just waited for him to get tired of hitting me with that mountain he calls a sword."

Soran shakes his head while Syla giggles, poking Five in the side lightly. "Hey, it slices and dices. It might be huge, but it is a sword nevertheless."

Five_Pillars says "ow." He makes a face. "I think that hurt more than the sword."

Five_Pillars grins. "So. What do you say we go get some sleep? We've got an early morning tomorrow. And I don;t know about you." He rubs his leg. "But my camel hates me."

Syla raises an eyebrow as she leans against Five. "I think you just have a soft spot for me, old man." Soran snickers a bit before nodding. "Good idea, Five. First of all..." He glances at Syla, taking a quick breath before speaking in Old Realm. "I... forgive you for what you did, Syla of The Blessed Wind. I also thank you for aiding me with your abilities. However, if you wish to let yourself free from your debt and be as free as the winds once again, I will bear you no ill will whatsoever."

Five nods, smiling slightly, as he stands back, as lets the two old friends talk.

Syla stands up straight as Five moves back, looking surprised for a few moments before she speaks. "...Thank you, Soran of the Golden Flames." She smiles slightly. "As tempting an offer as that is, you lot are a whole lot more enjoyable to be around than the courts back home. Besides, Laria would kick your ass if I wasn't there to keep an eye on you, sweetheart." She winks before glancing at Five. "I already told you I was going ot keep an eye on you too, so don't think you're getting rid of me that easily."

Five grins, and waves Syla off. "You'll have your work cut out fro you keeping him safe. Dendra will head for Gem, just as soon as the truce ends."

Five says "You two take care of each other, and the rest of us will watch out for each other."

Five_Pillars grins. "But first, /this/ old man is going to bed."

Five_Pillars lets the two old friends talk, as he heads for bed, quite happy with himself.

The two bid Five goodnight before they fall into conversation in the desert night.