In the Shadow of Death

[Tetris]

So im just gonna go ahead and continue... haha too bad though, 'cause that would have made some interesting writing :3 suppose we could do it some other time, haha.
------------------------------------------
Corruption

Anger

War

Blood

Death

Mercy bolted up right. She was breathing heavily and her wide eyes had gone an almost balck-blue. She nervously looked around. The sun was just beginning to rise above the trees. A little ways off she could see Altruism looking very much asleep, with his back against a tree. He looked almost peaceful. To her other side was Ethedus, breathing steadily. He too looked at peace.

it was only a dream Mercy thought, calming down. She tried remember what had actually frightened her about the dream, but to her frusturation, she could not.

Sighing, Mercy tried to get up with out disturbing the others. Glancing to her right, she immmideately decided that a nice swim might help steady her nerves.

Mercy quietly walked down stream until she was far enough away not to be disturbed. She took off her clothes and slipped into the water. Shivering, she waided farther in. It was suprisingly cold, but felt nice, and clensing. Closing her eyes, Mercy imagined the water washing away all her unknown fear, regret and sorrow.

A branch falling from a nearby tree snapped her back to reality. The sun was heigher in the sky, and looking down she could see that her fingers and toes were beginning to shrivel up. Guess it's time to go back Slowly she moved towards shore. She tried to shake her self dry, then put her clothes back on. Re-braiding hr hair, Mercy walked back to camp, searching for those edible plants on her way.

[tyr]

OOC: Yeah, but don't worry about it. We probably would have just ended up playing dream hide-and-seek. She likes to play. We can find her later.


Altruism stiffened as he heard Mercy get up, but relaxed as he understood that she wasn't an enemy. Casting a glance at the sky, he could see it slightly brightened by the gray light of approaching dawn. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sounds around him.

He heard Mercy walk towards the water, and a muffled splash as she got in. She was being pretty quiet, so as not to wake anybody, he realized. He kept his eyes closed because he knew that she wouldn't be swimming in her clothes. His small experience with girls, and a basic knowledge of decent human conduct told him that she probably wouldn't look kindly on him watching her.

He pretended to be asleep, so as not to arouse suspicion, but soon, his stomach began to rumble. Averting his eyes, he got up silently and slipped into the trees, looking for more plants. He recognized a few from the night before, and picked them. He put them in one of his many pockets and kept looking. It was always good to have extra. He kept seeing one kind of plant that looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it before.

You used to eat those between monasteries, said Tobor. Between monasteries? Yes, once you trained for a year in one monastery, you had to move on to the next one. They let all of the initiates travel there themselves. It was another test, who would survive the wilderness on the way. You don't remember? Tobor asked. No, I don't... But why do you? Your memories and your mind are an open book to me, Altruism. I am your summon. When I am this close to you, I know everything about you. Tobor fluttered out of a tree to land on his shoulder.

I suppose that it's a good thing you're friendly then, Tobor, he thought wryly. He trusted Tobor's word, so he picked he familiar-looking plants. He put those in the pocket with the other plants and stood up. That should be enough, he thought.

To Altruism's surprise, Tobor stayed with him, even though he was going to camp. He spared her a questioning glance, but he got no reply. As he walked towards camp, he saw Mercy approaching from the direction of the water, thankfully now wearing clothing. She was looking along the ground, so he figured that she was looking for more plants too. Raising his arm in greeting, he called to her, "Hey, if you're looking for more to eat, I found some! I have plenty!"

[Tetris]

Mercy gave Altruism a half-hearted smile. As she opened her mouth to speak Ethedus jumped over.

Why thank you very much Altruism! oh and good moring Tobor Ethedus lept up and grabbed a big, leafy plant. He gave Altruism an innocent look.

"Well, why thank you Eth!" laughing, Mercy bent down and tickled the little rabbit until the leafy plant fell out of his mouth. She picked it up and took a bite. Rolling his eyes, Ethedus bounced back over to Altruism and attempted to steal another leafy plant.

Mercy looked back to Altruism.

"is that your summonm?" she asked curiously. "because he's beautiful."

[tyr]

Altruism shared out the plants gladly. He gave some to Ethedus and laughed at the exchange between Mercy and her summon.

"There's plenty to go around, you don't need to snatch," he said, still laughing. Stuffing a leaf into his own mouth, he thought to Tobor. Ethedus is speaking to you. You could at least be polite. With a suffering look, Tobor inclined her head and simply said, Good morning. Altruism sighed. I suppose that will do.

To answer Mercy, he said, "She actually, but don't ask how I know. And yes, she is. My summon I mean. I'll uh, thank you on behalf of Tobor, because... Well, she's not very talkative..." He raised his hand near her and she nipped his finger affectionately.

He let the silence hang for a minute before he remembered that he should offer them some of the plants that he had put into his pockets. "Here, these plants are kind of tasty. I used to eat them in the wilderness all the time." He popped one into his mouth and found the taste just as he remembered, although he didn't really feel like he remembered it at all. It was an odd feeling.

[Tetris]

Mercy regarded Tobor with curiosity. Realizing that she was staring, she glanced down at the food that Altruism had given her. It looked funny, but Ethedus seemed to be enjoying it. Taking a bite she decided that it wasn't all that bad.

"Well I suppose we'd better get going. opefully we can find someone or something else before dark." Mercy said, finishing up her breakfast "Down stream, right?" and she began walking in the direction the water was flowing. Ethedus hopped becide her, seeming to not care which way they went. He paused for a moment and looked back at Altruism and Tobor and twitched his ear.

---------------------
Sory for the time it took to reply and the shortness of the post...it's exam week. *blech*

[tyr]

OOC: No worries, no worries. I know exams are here... I think we go to the same school... And yes, blech indeed... I can only post so often because I only have two exams, and they're not until the end of the week... Also, I have no life...


Altruism followed Mercy and Ethedus downstream. The sun was rising well in the sky, and some of its warmth reached him, but not much. It was still rather chilly. He wondered what season it was. It had been summer before he died. He paused for a moment, realizing that he had just remembered something, and struggled to remember more. It was as if it lay just outside his grasp, he reached, but caught only emptiness. He sighed. It won't be that easy, I guess.

Suddenly, he realized that he had fallen behind and ran to catch up. "There has to be something down stream. Or upstream, I suppose, but I don't fancy the idea of climbing that waterfall much," he laughed. "People always build near water, right?"

He looked around. "I wonder if we can find anything more substantial to eat. Given our current situation, I think that hunting is out of the question." He ate more of the plant that he had given Mercy. "Some things never change, I guess, no matter what happens..." He trailed off before he could mention death again. He had sensed that it upset Mercy to think about it. "I'm hungry. I hope whoever we find has food."

[greywalker13]

Darvos woke with a start. He tried to remember where he was. He's been traveling from his home in the North to seek out the South Lands, where the snow will melt for parts of the year. He'd been captured by the dark men, won a race against the one called Malice, and then...

He'd died. Run through by the short man's knife, piercing his heart. He shouldn't be anywhere, unless this was the life after death. The air was warmer than he remembered, and his clothes he had traveled in, many layers thick, once again covered him. He began removing the layers to check for remnants of his wound. there were none, as though the injury had never happened. Satisfied, he redressed himself and tried to get his bearings.

There was no snow. None. There was a slight frost clinging to the forest, to be sure, but no actual snow. He had died in a forest filled with snow, where there was snow year round. And yet...no snow.

This must mean he was in the South Lands. He laughed for a few minutes, rejoicing in the Death's sense of humor that he had been sent to his destination for his afterlife.

Strange, though. He felt rather alive for one who is dead. He could not see through his body, which meant he wasn't a spirit. There was no goddess to greet him and honor his passing, there was no...anything. Being dead felt too much like being alive.

"Am I...really dead?"

The answer to that is complicated, but in short, no.

The voice was female, soft, and seemed to come from above. Darvos craned his neck to the sky.

"But I died...I saw the knife."

Yes, you died. And now you're alive.

"Why?"

No idea. Guess someone saw fit to give you a second chance. Or you were lucky. Or you're part of an ancient prophecy that foretold your death and resurrection. There's a fair number of possibilities.

"Well, which is it?"

No idea. My name is Vi’Lana, your name is Candor, and if you want to stay alive I'd suggest getting something in your stomach.

"Wait, what do you mean my name is Candor? My name is Candor."

The voice remained silent, and Darvos' eyes went wide.

"That's not what I meant to say! I meant to say my name is Darvos!"

You may have meant to say it, but Darvos died, and your name is now Candor. As your name implies, you are always truthful. Thus, you cannot say your name is anything but Candor, for it is.

"But I just said..."

You said you meant to say your old name. That is true.

"I'm...confused."

Understandable. Let me make this simple: You are the incarnation of the Virtue Candor. As such, you will find your life heavily influenced by this virtue, as it likely was prior to your death. There will be more changes that you will discover later, but for now just accept your new name.

"O..okay. I guess I can do that. You said your name was..Vi’Lana, right? What are you?"

A shadow descended from the trees and landed in front of Candor. It looked like a large owl, but the icy feather colors and heavy aura hinted at something more. The bird turned her(for Candor assumed it to be female) head toward him and locked his gaze with large blue eyes.

Like I said before, I am your summon. I will be with you until you die. Which you will soon, if you don't eat. There's a river not far from here. Get something to drink. I'll acquire something to eat. After you've eaten we can talk more, if you wish.

And with a mighty beat of her wings, Vi’Lana took off and disappeared into the treetops.

Candor took a good look around and saw a waterfall through a gap in the trees. Trusting Vi’Lana to find him later, he started towards the river.

[Tetris]

Mercy and Ethedus searched for more food to eat, in the shrubs clooser to the water. Altruism and Tobor had gone in the other direction. Mercy figured that if they spit up for a bit, they'd have a better chance of finding something better than the leafy vegetables, not that she was complaining or anything.

"Eth, do you think that we'll ever find anyone? I mean, what if Altruism and I are the only people here?" She wore a worred expression on her face.

Ethedus nudged her leg and hopped off. Following him, she realized that he'd found...

"Blueberries!" She beamed and tasted a few "Eth you're awesome! HEY ALT-"

shhh Eth interruped, nodding across the river. it seems that we aren't the only ones here A man was walking towards the river. He had brown hair, with a white streak in it. Mercy noticed Ethedus' eyes flick upward. Looking where he was looking, she noticed a white owl flying above the man.

"He looks harmless to me..." Mercy whispered "maybe he's in the same situation as Altruism and I, Maybe we should go talk to him?" She peered over the blueberry bushes at the man again.

If you wish. I don't like the look of that owl, but maybe i'm just being judgemental Ethedus bit a blueberry off of a low branch

Smiling, Mercy jumped up and began waving at the man "Uhmmm, hey? T-there's some uh, b-blueberries over here if you'd like some." She smiled encouragingly.

Rolling his eyes, Eth jumped into the stream. Blue colour washed off his black snout as he swam towards the man. Shaking himself dry, he causiously sniffed arround the man.

[tyr]

Altruism munched contentedly on the leaves. He was used to not eating very much, so he wasn't very hungry. The monasteries had required the initiates to find their own food rather often, and there wasn't always much to eat. They always said that a little hunger made you harder, tougher.

Raising an affectionate finger to Tobor, he asked, Why aren't you avoiding us, like last night? Don't get me wrong, I like it when you're around... He trailed off. Well, she said, looking around, there's an owl nearby. I'm not sure, but I think it might be someone's summon. Altruism considered this. If someone else is around, will they be friendly? Not necessarily. They may be an enemy. Tobor answered.

He raised his head in alarm. Mercy! He couldn't believe that they had split up at a time like this. It was just so... inconvenient. He ran quickly back to where he'd last seen Mercy and checked for footprints, but the ground was too hard for her to have left any.

Tobor took off from his shoulder to look for her. I thought you said that there's an owl around! There is, but I will find her for you. Altruism was touched by the sentiment, but he was worried. Be careful, Tobor. She answered by saying, I will always return to you, Altruism. You won't be alone again.

He could feel the sincerity of her words, but put them away for the time being. He still had to find Mercy. He hadn't been looking long before Tobor spotted her, however. Go down river from where you are a bit. There's a place where it's shallow. She's just across there. I was right. The owl belongs to a man. She's approaching him now. Tobor returned to his shoulder from the sky.

Altruism quickened his pace and crossed the river where he was, rather than go downstream. He wanted to sneak and listen to this mysterious new-comer. He dashed for the tree line and moved silently between trunks. Not even a twig snapped beneath his feet. Just ahead! Tobor warned him, as he got close. He stopped dead in his tracks. He slowed his pace and moved forward just enough so he could see the man. He stopped again, this time, ceasing to move entirely, even to stop breathing. He settled in to watch, not fearing that he would be detected. Monastery training was nothing to be scoffed at.

[greywalker13]

Candor was confused. A girl appearing in the middle of the woods is strange enough, but to offer food so readily in the wilds was...odd. This was quickly overcome by a second creature's appearance. A rabbit darted out from the bush where the girl was standing and began to swim across the river. Had she lost her quarry in the bush? The rabbit seemed to move with purpose, climbing out of the river and approaching Candor. Not entirely sure how to react, he stared at the strange creature. The South Lands seemed full of strange things. The rabbit seemed to be curious and wasn't about to leave, so he turned his attention to the girl.

The bush obscured most of her from view, but she was different than other people he’d met. The feeling was similar to the dark ones, but instead of sensing danger he felt...peace?

There was a sudden gust of wind as Vi’Lana landed on his shoulder.

Do not worry. This one is an ally. She is a Virtue, like yourself. The Summon is proof enough.

“Summon? You mean the rabbit?”

Yes, the rabbit. Now say hello. You’re being rude.

"Oh, right." Candor nodded and waved to the girl on the far shore.

"Yes, um... Hello! I would like some blueberries, thank you! Is there a way for me to cross? I'm not exactly dressed for swimming."

[Tetris]

Mercy thought about it for a bit.

"Well I'm not exactaily sure, but I think there's a dead tree that fell across the water, farther down stream? Maybe you cross there."

Yes I know what she's talking about, if you'd like I could show you. Ethedus was eyeing the owl cautiously.

"I'm going to call my caompanion, if you don't mind. He'd probably like to know about you and ther blueberries." Mercy smiled. "ALTRUSIM!"

Ethedus jumped on the man's foot, then hopped in the direction of the fallen tree.
This way

[tyr]

Altruism jerked his still body into motion at Mercy's call, emerging silently from the trees behind the one called Candor. He had done that well, and often enough that he knew that to the others, he would appear to be melting from the forest itself. Tobor passed no comment, but hopped to a branch above his head.

"Hello, Mercy," he said cheerfully. "Pleased to meet you, Candor. You won't need an introduction, since I just heard it. I'm Altruism. My summon is Tobor. She's a bit nervous, quite understandably, because your summon would appear to be an owl, and she's just a dove." His cheer stayed intact, but before speaking again, he injected a hint of a threat. "I would hope that there won't be any trouble there." Tobor once again landed on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck affectionately. "I'm rather fond of her, you see."

Who's the rude one now? Tobor asked in a way that she could not be heard by the others. You would appear to be threatening this man. Altruism suppressed a scowl and spoke to Tobor. I'm being careful. You were the one who said that he might not be friendly. Tobor seemed to accept this explanation, as she refrained from commenting again.

"Why don't I just walk with you to the fallen tree? I need to cross too. Blueberries sound like a wonderful prospect." His voice remained upbeat. Over the years, he had found that his cheer was often as disconcerting to people as the danger he represented, and he used it to his advantage here. He smiled brightly and fixed his gaze on Candor.
_______
OOC: Wow, Alty can be a bit of a jerk, huh?

[greywalker13]

Candor whipped around and crouched into a defensive stance at the sound of the newcomer’s voice. Vi’Lana took flight immediately and perched on a nearby boulder, eyeing the stranger suspiciously. As he spoke further she relaxed somewhat, bowing to the man and dove.

I have no intention of harming you, Tobor, nor the young lady’s summon. My name is Vi’Lana, and I would be glad to accompany you.

Candor relaxed slowly, never taking his eyes off the man. He has stealth that would put most wolves to shame. He’s also strong, and well aware of it. One wrong move and I could be dead...again. Vi’Lana appears to trust him, but I’m not sure. The dark men approached in a similar manner. Best to stay cautious.

“I understand your caution, but I must ask you to humor mine for the time being.”

Candor glanced in the direction that the rabbit had taken off in. If the situation worsened, the river was still a valid option. He attempted to grin back.

“Very well, let us cross together. Blueberries sound...tasty.”

He resolved to keep a decent distance from the man, and to keep a close watch. The grin he wore was unnerving.

Ooc: A bit of jerkiness isn't a bad thing. We can't exactly have everyone getting along perfectly right off the bat.

[Tetris]

Mercy watched at the two men cautiously chatted with each other.

I have to admit, it's kind of funny watching those two. She watched them carefully walk after Ethedus. but I'm a little worried about Altruism, you think this other guy's okay?

Well, he is a Virtue, so i doubt he's too dangerous, but you never know. Virtues may be nicer than sins, but they don't always get along. What bothers me the most is his darn summon, I dislike birds with sharp claws, and a tendency to eat smaller furry animals

Mercy began to thoughtfully pick more blue berries. She put them on a big leaf, occasionally popping one or two inter her mouth. She wondered why they were taking so long.

The tree that you saw earlier was quite a bit a ways downstream y'know. We found it right after you decided to spit up. Anyways, we should be coming into view right...about...now... Ethedus sprinted toward Mercy as soon as he saw her. Jumping onto her lap, he gave her a bunny-kiss and proceeded to eat all the blueberries that she had picked.

"Eth! Don't be rude!" Mercy laughed. Looking up, she waved to Altruism and Candor. They still looked pretty cautious of each other

"Guess they didn't warm up to each other during that walk eh?" Mercy muttered to Ethedus.

"Well I did pick some berries for you guys, but it seems that Eth's eaten it all, sorry." She half-smiled at Candor, but her smile grew as she moved her eyes over to Altruism.

[tyr]

Altruism kept smiling the whole way back to Mercy, but he did let it lessen a little. He walked beside Candor at a fair distance. He didn't think that either of them wanted the other one at their back. Tobor still perched on his shoulder, clearly unsure of Vi'Lana's promise of safety.

Altruism did not break the silence that hung between himself and Candor until Ethedus ran ahead, out of earshot, upon sighting Mercy.

"Candor, eh?" He spoke softly. "That's open and honest, but does your personality fit your name? I'll be fair, and be honest with you. Altruism is my name, and it fits me just right. I live for others. I have no care for my pathetic self, and I will always protect another with my life. I have faced death, more even than this death we feel right now. I know the totality of destruction. It is an old friend, and I am fine with it if it only means that I have done service to another. For now, it is Mercy that I speak of. I will protect her with my life. That is my way, and you have been warned." As they reached Mercy, he stopped talking. He noticed her smile, and returned it with a gentle one of his own.