Abandi

The tree was brought horizontal, and a surge of energy was sent to it. With a loud crack it was split into several parts, then there was another surge of energy and another crack and there were more pieces. After a third salvo of energy and cracks the pieces began to arrange themselves underneath the boulder, forming a platform very similar to a raft that one might use to ford or sail down a river. After the construction was complete, he let his energy recede from the boulder and it fell on to the raft, the device sagging slightly midair in response.

His looked over his shoulder to Abandi, immediately noticing the energy that had begun to radiate off her form. It was delicious to his eyes and he could feel himself nearly salivating over it. Calm down, he reminded himself. This isn't a recreational event. With a slight trepidation, he spoke to her. "That's what I was hoping for. The boulder should simulate our combined weights fairly well." His gaze then returned to the platform and he began to manipulate it, tilting it forward and moving it forward at the same time, so as to keep the boulder firmly in place.

"Place your hand on my shoulder and slowly transfer energy." A small smile was hinted at on his lips, and she wouldn't see it unless she was staring directly at him. "This is a technique my master had only just started teaching me, so I may be a bit shaky. If we do it right, you should be able to use me as a conduit. You'll be providing the steam and I'll simply be directing it." The smile faded as the consequences of executing this incorrectly flooded back with the rest of his training. He had never experienced any symptoms, but he was warned that excessive overload carries the threat of death or worse, addiction to the source.

I'll have to be ready for anything, he consoled himself as he spread his feet to the broadness of his shoulders and continued the manipulation of the object, starting to weave it around the trees midair.
 
Abandi watched him in amazement, obviously still not used to anyone else who could manipulate magic like she could. She stepped closer to him, blushing childishly when he mentioned what he wanted her to do. Normally, he would fear her touching him, stepping out of arms reach and keeping his distance.

She approached him cautiously, practicing in the air a couple times so she knew what it felt like to leak small amounts of magic at a time. Within moments she had her hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes, bit by bit releasing energy into his body.

The purple aura was mixing with his own, but this time flowed down his arms and out his fingertips, becoming less dangerous and more controlled. If Abandi had attempted to do this alone, she would have most likely caused everything to explode, heating the materials down to the very last molecule. She felt Aki's body shiver under her hand, knowing how he reacted when she gave him energy.

"Are you alright?" She whispered to him, placing her lips close to his ears; knowing he was concentrating hard on keeping the make shift raft afloat in the air.
 
Had his energy been at the level it was two or three months ago, the exercises with the boulder would have drained him before Abandi even lent a hand. Having been pushed to new heights, however, he could've continued this for several more minutes before needing to stop. At first, she only sent trace amounts of herself through the air to him. The translucent extension of self which was his aura sucked it in greedily, engulfing it and pushing it deep inside his spiritual self. This process repeated a few times, each small burst being consumed and pushed through his body, sent back out towards the raft which was floating in a slow, precarious circle around a few trees.

His energy flooded over her hand as she made contact with him. It almost was sucking in more than she was willing to give, increasing the flow beyond the rate at which she had bottled it down to. His body shook as her energy flowed in to him, initially pulling down in to his core and swirling around the very beginnings of his own energy source. Her soft voice caught him off guard, causing Aki to fall to one knee as her energy gathered up inside him and he continued to push his own out of his body. Her immediate reaction was to withdraw her hand from his shoulder. The platform slipped sideways, the boulder sliding to the edge of it and threatening to disembark.

"No!" He barked. "Do not stop unless I tell you to stop."

She gave him a soft nod and replaced her hand. In the short disconnected he moved much of her energy from his inner self to his outer self, the tendrils connecting his arm to the platform switching from a deep blue to a softer purple as her energy was pushed out of his body. It wasn't long before he felt himself maintaining the flow of her energy, allowing it to pass freely from his shoulders to his arms and out to the object. He played with the tilt and yaw of the craft, moving the boulder back to the center. Standing back on both feet, he concentrated on maneuvering it next; he did figure eights between trees, cut sharp corners, and practiced stop-starts, all the while pitching the craft in different directions each time to get a better feeling of the center of gravity on it and the weight it carried. It was likely that Abandi felt a bit of the coercion he had over the craft, almost as if the two became one larger force for the duration of the training.

As it went on, he became increasingly aware of her; her levels of magic, her features, and on some small level he could start to sense her feelings. At some point she started to feel less like a woman standing behind him and more like an extension of his own self. On a personal level, this was intriguing - it was an odd closeness with a girl he had met just days prior. On a magical level, it was delicious. Constant access to the source of his desires was something that his master had only dreamed of and yet, here Aki was, living out the dream of an old sage. Her essence swirled in and around him like it had several times before, yet this time it was not overwhelming. It was something he could savor, a taste that he could revisit continuously, and his body began to grow numb as it endured the exhausting and rewarding experience.

When he felt satisfied with his practice, he brought the would-be ship to a soft landing just feet from them. "You can stop now."

She withdraw her hand once more and he turned to her, whipping his hand to her face and gripping her chin. He felt a near romantic connection to her, having just subsisted off her for the better course of half an hour. His own energy began to pile out in to his body once more, though this time it seemed to mix and mingle with her remnants rather than instantly go to work on converting it as it had done so many times. His eyes, which were locked on to hers, reflected this change in his psyche. Normally a dull blue, they now shone a brilliant sapphire. The luminescence was broken only by thin purple lines that ran in random patterns inside his cornea, a sort of reverse-bloodshot effect in his eyes.

He held her face there for nearly a minute, offering nothing more than a soft smile. Finally, he spoke. "That was...enlightening. It was exhilarating. It was the apex of my training and everything I could have hoped it would be." His face floated closer to hers and his lips pursed, his body instinctively taking him in for a quick kiss.

However, he stopped himself before they connected. Don't forget. What you're feeling is likely an after effect of this exercise.

He instead embraced her in a hug. There was no greedy attack on her energy this time, his own still mellowed out and playing around with the remains of her inside him. The hug lasted just moments before he stepped back and regarded her, stretching his arms over his head and rolling his neck, eliciting snaps and creaks as he worked out the kinks in his muscles. There existed a small tiredness in his body, from his cheekbones to his joints and back again, but he dismissed the feeling in favor of the pseudo-euphoria that was on the forefront of his mind.

He had no words for her, only an awkward smile, a memory of this event and an avid anticipation of the longer journey.
 
The way that Aki had barked orders had scared her, making Abandi close her eyes for most of the exercise. She concentrated on gently giving him energy, even when his body tried to take more than what she was willing to supply. When she had replaced her hand on his shoulder, she felt a strange connection to him, almost romantic in nature. She felt as if their two bodies were closer than in reality, like she could feel his hands gently caressing her and massaging the energy he desired from her skin. A shiver electrified her skin, causing her to let go more energy than before, but she quickly corrected herself when the feeling subsided, for Aki's safety. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi's body craved more, wanting to release more and more energy into him until he could no longer take it. She fought her urges, clenching her teeth as Aki played around with his make shift raft. Their connection had given her more insight to Aki's being, and for a moment, she let her hand go translucent, seeping into him to dwell into his memories. </SPAN></SPAN>

Flashes of light brought her to a man with a greying beard, weak stature and wise eyes. The energy radiating off of him was immense, so much so that it forced Abandi out, making her wonder all the more who he was. That was when Aki told her to stop. It took her a moment to withdraw her hand, solidifying it and placing it at her side. She was caught off guard when he quickly turned around, placing his hand on her face romantically, making her bottom lip quiver nervously. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi's own energy began pulsating out at him, wanting to continue and intertwine with his, tempting him to allow her in. When his eyes caught hers, it was more magical than the whole exchange. His eyes were stunning, reflecting their bonding in a way that no one but the two of them could possibly understand. He looked tired, but Abandi knew how resilient he was. Aki was stronger than she had expected when they first met, which was comforting to her. </SPAN></SPAN>

"It was amazing! Completely….amazing" Her breath escaped her excitedly but, she had no idea what else to say. The closeness of Aki's face and mouth made her nervous, forcing her to close her eyes, waiting for what she assumed would be her first kiss. When she felt his body wrapping around her own, instead of the romanticized kiss she had hoped for, Abandi sighed, giving him a sweet smile. She placed her hands on his back, enjoying their closeness and wondering what had changed his mind.</SPAN></SPAN>

When their embrace finally ended, Abandi cursed in her head. She craved more of him, the child within her mind utterly disgusted at the possible romance. She fought with herself, pushing the child further back until she could no longer hear her complaining. Abandi watched as Aki worked his muscles, smiling as he did so and trying her best not to look flustered. </SPAN></SPAN>

"So what now?" She posed the question she had been pondering since the beginning of the exercise. "Do you think you're ready to do that again?"</SPAN></SPAN>
 
During the stretching of his joints and the relegation of his senses to the energy-induced euphoria that was pouring over him, his head had rolled back against his shoulders and his eyes had fluttered closed. He stood in an odd manner before, palms open and facing towards her, hands resting just beside his hips, his entire body almost lifting itself off the ground. The energies inside him continued to mix and filled every bit of him, the translucence visibly filtering in to his mouth and nostrils. A deep breath was taken and held, his chest puffing out. The breath was released audibly and his body seemed to shrink back to its normal stature. His eyes snapped open, still swirling with both of the colors, though their shine had diminished and was now more natural in appearance.

"Hm? Oh..." The realization that she had just witnessed that display set in and his cheeks reddened slightly. "I, uh, was, well, yeah." He stumbled over his words and laced his fingers behind his head, resting back against them and sheepishly shifting his gaze to the sky. "Yeah, I probably am."

"I mean," His head titled downwards again, looking at her over the brim of his nose. "If you are. Remember, we'll fall out of the sky if you let Ryogen suppress you."

He took a few steps closer to her, letting his hands fall back down to his sides. "I've already talked to him, and he seems to be okay with all of it, but who knows. I don't think he trusts me very much." One hand stretched out towards her, palm facing upwards. "Come on, let's go find Ryogen and Gemini. The less time we waste the better."
 
Abandi was a little confused by his stance, but she assumed there was some sort of mindlessness to it. She wasn't completely convinced that he could in fact take more energy and get them where they needed to go, and she worried about what sort of reaction he might have from being exposed to her unlimited power for so long. She placed her hand in his when he held it out, not allowing any of her energy to flow into him; even if he tried to absorb it.

"Are you sure?" She questioned the expression on his face, which she translated as doubt. "If you want, why don't I try to fly us?" She assumed she might have more luck and less health issues handling the amount of magic it would take to transport four people. she followed him, still concerned.
 
Grasping her hand in his he took off at a brisk pace back towards the camp. His energy concentrated somewhat in her hand, swirling around his fingers and flooding over her hand as he held it. Though he was not trying to absorb any more of her, there was a certain contentedness in just the presence of it. As they walked, his mind turned over her question. Would it really be safe for her to pilot the thing? She had understood his techniques previously after simply watching him perform it once, so this shouldn't be much more difficult.

"Well," he started, glancing back at her for just a moment and returning his gaze to the path before them. "You certainly could, and it may be easier. I'm just worried about your brother...you tend to become, well, something else, when he's around. I have several orbs and I'm not sure how far I could get us on their fuel alone, but it might be safer than the alternative." The alternative being, something goes awry midair and they crash and die.

Once again, the path was easy to follow; they passed the explosive dents in trees that she had left in her previous bout of anger. His hand repositioned itself and his fingers slipped between hers. He gave her a quick look to search for any objection, offering a soft smile almost as an apology for the incident. Of course, he didn't withdraw his hand.

After some time walking he began to call out for the other two. "Ryogen? Gemini? Are you ready to leave?" His hand nervously ran over the pack at his side, unsure of where the two of them had wandered off to.
 
Abandi followed him without any complaint, letting him lace his fingers in her own as her heart jumped in her chest. As they followed her trail back to the campsite, she thought about what he said. It was true that Ryogen's presence made her revert to a weak, childish persona-but maybe she could do it; she never had a reason to test the limits of her power.

"yeah, maybe you're right... we'll try it your way first" She smiled at him, keeping up with him as he started calling for gemini and her brother.

____________

Ryogen heard Aki calling his name through the trees, making his way over to the side of the campsite where Abandi had run off. Suddenly he saw them coming through the trees, noticing how the man had his hand intertwined with his sisters. Ryogen picked up his pace, running up to Aki and grabbing him by the shirt, clenching his teeth with a explainable anger.

"what did you do to my sister? You better not have touched her you little prick!" Ryogen was enraged for some reason. He had never left his sister alone with another man, and to see the way he was holding her hand, and after the physical contact they had earlier; he couldn't help but assume the worst.
 
Caught off guard by Ryogen's advance, he had no time to react. In an instant he was close to Ryogen's face, finding a dangerous scowl just inches from his own. His hand fell away from Abandi, his blue-purple eyes narrowed and he grabbed Ryogen by his shoulders, pushing him away. He shook his shoulders, his shirt falling back in to place on his body.

"What? No! We were just off practicing for this voyage." That sentence probably didn't help his cause very much, so added more. "I needed to make sure everything would work well before all of our lives were in danger."

He sauntered past Ryogen and extended his hands toward a nearby tree. He repeated the same process of uprooting, splitting and constructing that had made the raft before. The craft was improved this time as he levitated some of the sinew from the spit and the animals over to the thing, wrapping it around the logs and constricting them together. The process was quicker now and in no time the craft was completed, lying in the middle of their makeshift camp.

He cracked his knuckles and turned once more to Ryogen. His tone was abnormally aggressive, partly because of the energy coursing through him and partly because of the need for sincerity. "You can't be angry like that when we're in the air. There is a real danger for all of us involved if you intervene in any part of it."

None of this was going to help Ryogen to like him any more than he already did, but there was nothing Aki could do about it.
 
Abandi listened to everything Aki had to say to her brother, feeling terrible and enraged that what she translated as a romantic moment with Aki was ruined by her brother.
"How do i know you didn't know that trick before? I don't think I can do this. I can't allow you to use my sister as some sort of engine! She's not something you can manipulate and control!" Ryogen was reaching into thin air, creating problems because of his own insecurities.

"RYOGEN!" Abandi yelled, coming from the side, stomping her feet as she narrowed her eyes and walked toward him. Rage filled her eyes as she pulled her arm back, punching her brother hard in the jaw. His body flew a couple feet, sliding back dramatically with his feet still grounded. The look he gave Abandi was that of surprise, completely unaware that his sister had it in herself to ever hit him. Ryogen balanced himself by planting his feet strongly in the ground, using his hand to keep himself standing, holding it out to his side and rotating it quickly.

"I'LL DO AS I WISH!" Abandi's body was engulfed in a hot purple fire, rage taking over her completely. Aki would have been able to feel the heat coming from her body as he stood near her. She raised her hand and fired a horrible ball of energy at her own brother. Ryogen was quick to dodge the orb- tucking and rolling away as it made contact with a large tree somewhere in the distance. The ball disintegrated, taking with it a big chunk of the tree trunk, a smoldering crater left in it's place.

"ARE YOU SO DESPERATE TO BE AFRAID OF MY POWER? LET ME FORCE YOU TO FEAR IT!" Abandi's body was pulsing with magic, her knuckles cracking as she squeezed her fingers tightly into a fist. There had been so many times that she wished she could stand up to Ryogen, and she was finally ready to do it. He had dismissed her power so many times- pushed her back and drowned her out with that child...the child he held on to so strongly...

"Don't be ridiculous..." Ryogen stood up straight, walking toward his sister with his arm outstretched toward her. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you Abandi! I'm not going to take some magicians word after just meeting him! It defies everything I taught myself!" Ryogen's voice boomed over the other sounds around them, echoing in Abandi's head painfully. He was pushing back at her, forcing her away like all the other times.

"No! You can't just push me away! Aki! Tell him he can't!" Abandi's eyes reflected fear as Ryogen walked closer and closer, forcing Abandi to retreat backwards- stumbling with fear. "Aki!"

"She needs to sleep, her anger is taking her" Ryogen said bluntly, looking at the young magician, knowing he wouldn't understand. It was as if Abandi blinked her eyes and Ryogen was behind her, covering her eyes with his hand. A bright light originated from his palm, white and pure, making Abandi's body go limp. He leaned his sisters body against the ground, walking past Aki and mumbling under his breath.

"We aren't going to speak of this. Let's just get the hell out"
 
He had been given instructions by his master, and would do whatever he could to follow them. Seeking the artifacts had its ups and downs, some had been easy to find, while this one had been giving him trouble for some time. However, it would certainly be worth it, as the rumors surrounding Kollidan's Coin, if they proved true, would make finding the rest of the artifacts quite easy.

Baurthos had been on the trail of the Coin for months, following nothing but shallow leads and word of mouth from people he did not trust, even whilst torturing them half to death. His master had given him carte blanche in his quest for both information on the whereabouts of certain artifacts, and the acquisition of said artifacts. This artifact, Kollidan's Coin, however, seemed to be very promising, if he could locate it. When Baurthos first heard of the Coin, it nearly encapsulated him. He wanted it. He knew he was to get it for his Master, but he secretly wanted it for himself. Imagine, immense good fortune, never-ending success, locating all of one's wants and desires... it was an irresistible temptation, and Baurthos feared what would happen if Daireck learned that he himself coveted this item.

It was of no matter, however, as Baurthos could not find the damn thing to save his life. He wandered across the lands, following myths and legends dragged out of drunks at bars and teased out of the more knowledgeable with knives, finally ending up in [Norwood City], chasing after a wealthy merchant family who currently lived there. Few people seemed to truly understand the Artifacts, but those who did knew their power. Those who didn't merely saw them as trinkets, some passed down family lines as heirlooms, but as nothing more than that, and Baurthos was hoping that this was the case with the coin. His hopes were not high, but if the merchants had viewed this coin as merely a symbol rather than a tool, it would acquiring it that much easier.

As the sun set, Baurthos scoped out the house of the family he'd been tracking, the Saudagar merchant family. They suddenly rose to wealth several generations ago, and held onto this wealth for far longer than anyone expected. They had never lost a shipment, the goods they sold and the markets they built across the lands generally thrived, even in times of war. No one had really questioned the rise nor the cementing of monetary wealth, but a few suspected that something otherworldly may have had a hand in it, and Baurthos sought to not only prove these suspicions, but also strip the item from their vaults.

-----------------------

Darkness fell, and Baurthos approached the house. He wagered the coin would be in a central area of the house, perhaps under lock and key, but this was of no concern. The most important task would be getting in the mansion, and praying that his last victim... informant... had given him some valid information. Baurthos walked the perimeter in total darkness, sliding in and out of the shadows as if he were made of them, looking for a way in, and finding it in a thick tangle of vines leading up to a window, which he climbed towards and slipped into.

The mansion was dimly lit by torchlight, given the time of night, and Baurthos felt wary because this was almost too easy. There were no guards, no dogs, no sounds whatsoever now that he thought about it. He rifled through rooms and chests, finding nothing that interested him. Some nice clothing and fine jewelry, but not the coin. Upon entering what appeared to be some kind of library or study, Baurthos noticed a series of suspicious candlesticks, among the books, a terrible place for candles. Walking over to them and removing the candles from the holder, a secret door was triggered, revealing a hidden vault, full of antiques and other treasures.

"How cliche."

Baurthos was surprised that he had not drawn attention, chalking it up to the Coin's owners idea that perhaps their "good fortune" protected them from thieves. Then he saw it. A single cabinet, dark wood with a glass panel covering it. Inside, a large oil painting of what was likely the Elder Saugadar, holding a relatively large coin in his left hand, and sure enough, in front of this painting lay the coin depicted. This must be it. Baurthos inspected the case, finding a large lock underneath, which he picked in a few minutes, and his excitement grew as he lifted the lid of the cabinet. Kollidan's Coin seemed to almost radiate power. Baurthos could practically taste it, and in his lust, he tore the coin out of the case and stuffed it into his chest pocket. However, when he tried to leave the vault, he found himself confronted by three large armed men. Attached to their large arms were large hands, which clutched equally large weapons.

"Identify yourself! Cooperate and be punished quickly!" Said the center guard, attempting to intimidate Baurthos. He had come too far to fail now, and no threat this gorilla could make would rival what Daireck would have waiting for him.

"I am your death." Baurthos taunted, as he pulled a small blade from his coat pocket, whipping it across the room and embedding it into the man's throat, puncturing his windpipe and slicing the man's carotid, coating the wall in arterial spray. The two others rushed him, so Baurthos drew a long knife, and lunged. He quickly sliced up the closest guard, carving deep wounds into the man's chest and gut, spilling his night's dinner onto the floor between them, before turning on the last guard, opting to simply stab him several times in the chest before departing the room.

The adrenaline from the fight coarsed through his veins, and his bloodlust was not sated. He followed the sounds of the mansion's owners scrambling to gather their things to the master bedroom, where the Saugadars were obviously trying to collect what they could carry and escape into the night.

They would not succeed.
 
Gemini was finishing up the packing with Ryogen when she heard Aki calling their names. Ryogen seemed to fly over to the two who were walking out of the woods, and she followed, though a bit slower than him. When she heard him yelling at Aki she quickened her pace. This cannot end well.

"Ryogen relax, they're fine, nothing is wrong." She tried to calm him, but he was clearly not listening to anything she said. "Crap." Speaking out loud to no one, not that it would matter, since no one was listening to her anyway. Abandi suddenly came out of nowhere, the anger flowing from her, shooting magic at her brother.

"What the hell are you two doing!?" Again, no one heard her. Ryogen and Abandi were deep in fight, and Aki seemed to be unable to do anything but watch, like he was awestruck. "Abandi NO!" She tried to help, but, for the seemingly hundreth time, no one heard her. She stopped talking altogether and watched. Ryogen also has power, the power to stop his sister from hurting him. But, I don't see anything like what Abandi has. I will have to ask Aki about that. Is Ryogen magic, or something else? When Ryogen put his sister to 'sleep' Gemini ran over to her, sitting on her heels, and putting Abandi's head in her lap. She brushed the girls hair back from her face, which looked almost serene in her slumber. Ryogen stalked away angrily, telling them to never speak of it. Yeah right.

"Aki." She quietly called to him, hoping to break his stouper. "Aki, come here. Tell me whats going on in a way that I can understand, if you know. What did you two figure out while you were in the woods?"
 
The scene before him was nothing that he had anticipated, but it wasn't something he completely objected to him. He rose one hand meekly towards Abandi, breathily calling out to her. "Abandi, you can't tackle it like this..." His words trailed off as she fired the first blast at Ryogen, who dodged it with an unnatural grace.

The energy that radiated off of her was entrancing. Wide-eyed and paralyzed, he stood in awe of the display. Her energy inside him that had yet to be converted seemed to be trying to escape him, to return back to its source as the gravity of her energy grew larger and larger. This feeling threatened to overtake the entirety of Aki's body and he had to resist the urge to simply walk beside her and begin drawing in her excess.

Their battle and his trance didn't last long. When Abandi called out to him he snapped out of the daze, shaking his head and dismissing the nigh-hypnotism. His feet moved in to action, a quick pace taking him towards Abandi, but he was too late. In a flash Ryogen was behind her, a power emitting from his hand and washing over Abandi's cranium. She fell limp in his arms, and in a very non-brotherly fashion he dropped her on the ground and walked away from her, past the approaching Aki, grumbling about ignoring the situation.

Gemini's previous cries had hit his ears, but he had been so lost in the event that nothing permeated his mind. Now, however, he saw her cradling Abandi and rushed over to join her, bending at his knees and perching himself close to the two females. He looked to Gemini, a panic coming over his face. What was he to do now? This situation was quickly escalating and he could feel his blood boiling over the absurdity of it all.

"Gemini, we only spoke briefly. We basically ran a test flight, with her supplying me energy. I moved around some planks of wood and a boulder, just to see if I could get the mechanics down properly." He looked to the ground, to Ryogen's back, to the ground, and back to Gemini's face again. "There was nothing sinister, and yet he continues to chide both her and I for our endeavors."

Aki's hand curled in to a fist, his knuckles whitening as his fingers dug in to his palm. He stood rapidly and took a single step towards Ryogen, extending his non-fist hand and pointed two fingers at him. "Ryogen!" He called out, the same unusual aggression in his tone. "You may have silenced her, but you can't silence me!" He could feel energy pooling in his hands and it took every ounce of willpower to restrain himself from attacking Ryogen. Instead, he squared his shoulders and brought the extended hand to his side, curling it in to a fist as well.

"All you've done for her entire life is restrain her. You're afraid of her power because she can't control it." His head tilted downwards, chin resting against his chest and stared at Ryogen out of the top of his eyes. "But you're the reason she can't control it. Her energy, from all of her feelings, from all of her emotions, backs up inside of her. If something like that were to happen to, say, myself or Gemini, we'd be dead." He gave a quick glance to Gemini before returning his aggressive stare to Ryogen. "Abandi however, chooses a different path. She releases that pent up energy into the air around her instead of exploding."

All those deaths...that blood is on your hands, Ryogen.

He shot another look to Gemini. "I know we told you some of this, but this isn't how I wanted to reveal it all." Once more he looked back to Ryogen. "I'm sorry it had to come out like this, but you've been so stubborn since you woke up. Your fear is the only thing holding us-" he cut himself off, changing his words, "-Abandi, back. If you were a little more liberal..." He held his words, not wanting to tell Ryogen what he should do. Soapboxing to him would only aggravate him further and possibly turn this conversation in to a confrontation.
 
Instead of agressiveness, which he was sure Aki expected, Ryogen turned around slowly with one hand clutching the side of his head. There was so much that was left in the dark about the whole situation and regardless of whether he though Aki and Gemini should know the truth, he was inclined to tell them now that they were so emotionally involved.</SPAN></SPAN>

"You don't know everything Aki, Just whatever my sister has told you. Our lives have not been easy, especially my sisters…" He looked at Abandi as he spoke, a certain softness hitting his face as he pursed his mouth and rubbed his temple. "
My sister doesn't know all of the things she's done, and I would like to keep it that way." He walked toward her, looking down at her sleeping face as Gemini cupped her features and caressed her forehead.</SPAN></SPAN>

"Abandi and I are two opposite powers, She is energy and I am…well… obviously repression. Since she was a little girl, even the slightest fluctuation of negative emotion, had triggered this horrible display of power…This time it was my fault…" Ryogen closed his eyes as if he had a hard time coping with the fact. "But the times before, like when we first met Gemini. That crater you found Aki, was created because my sister got stabbed in the arm by a piece of glass…She thinks it's from a buildup of her energy over time-which is only half truth. My sister had a terrible rage inside her, and when it comes out, I am forced to make her sleep, make her forget, and the energy keeps building…" He stood silent for a moment.</SPAN></SPAN>

"She wakes up not remembering anything, but that's not something I do intentionally." He looked this time at Gemini, his eyes pleading for acceptance, wanting her to know he wasn't the bad guy.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Listening to everything Ryogen had to tell her she could see in his eyes that he meant he did not make her have amnesia on purpose.

"I can't pretend to understand all of it Ryogen, but I can see the love and truth in your eyes. You obviously do not want to tell Aki or I all of what is going on. Unfortunately for us, that could turn for the worse one day. We may need to know what is going on Ryogen, if we are all to travel together, and rely on each other, we need to know what is going on. I understand your reluctance. It is the same feeling I have when I must explain the story of my Leoric." Her eyes became wet with tears, though none fell down her face, her face turned up to Ryogen but she was looking through him.

"I... I understand Ry, I really do." Her vision clearing a bit as she realized she needed to finish her thoughts out loud. "Please, consider us, me. Consider me, when you hold the decision to not speak of what is really going on with you two." She looked back down at Abandi, petting her hair slowly as the girl lay unconcious in her lap.
 
Ryogen's attempts to deflect Aki's gentle criticism fell on deaf ears. Here he was, trying to present himself as another victim in this scenario and yet in their entire lives he had always been at least half of the cause. Aki's fist clenched tighter as Gemini responded, buying in to his desperate plea. Had he had nails, they surely would've been digging in to his palms and drawing blood.

"That's the worst story I've ever heard, Ryogen." His stance shifted, having followed their gazes to Abandi, and he returned his eyes to Ryogen. "But it still doesn't pull at my heart strings."

His eyes shone with an anger, a translucent blue film forming over his body as his energy responded to his emotions. One step was taken towards Ryogen, shoulders angled and pointing towards him. "You've run from this problem your entire life, never bothering to take a stand against it and find a solution." He glanced down at his hand, which had unclenched and was facing palm-up towards his face. There were small indents in it from his fingers and the lines in his skin had become a bright red. "Yet here I am. I am the solution to all of your problems and you..." Aki's face twisted in discomfort at the thoughts running through his head and out of his mouth. "You threaten me?"

In some symbolic way, he was standing up to Ryogen's fears as well as his own. Flashbacks were coming in to his mind of when his master was attacked and how he stood so passively, allowing the horrible event to take place without fighting against it. His energy was flaring now, becoming a bright blue and shading the color of his skin. "You've been a coward for far too long!"

His attention turned momentarily to Gemini. "Don't appease him. Don't tell him that what he's been doing is okay."

Once more, he turned and spoke to Ryogen. "I'm not a violent person. I don't want to harm Abandi." He paused, checking back on her to see if she was still sleeping, then spoke again. "Nor you. But I will, if it's what is required to get my point across and make you understand."
 
The accusations Aki was slinging at Ryogen made him upset, but he had already realized all of it before. Aki had assumed that Ryogen was completely ignorant to his own fear and oblivious to her personal involvement in Abandi's issues, but he was more aware than he could ever imagine. Ryogen shook his head walking up and grabbing Abandi off Gemini's lap and swinging her over his shoulder, making sure she was comfortable. He picked up his broadsword and put that over the other shoulder.

"Sorry kid, you don't scare me. If you still want to find Gemini's husband, I suggest you build that raft and get us the hell out of here. I'm going to have the conversation with my sister eventually, but I can't control this like you seem to think I can..."
 
Aki's nostrils flared in contempt of Ryogen's actions. He seemed so nonchalant, as though he really believed himself a victim. He watched him sling Abandi over his shoulder, moving only in slight opposition. Ryogen clearly wouldn't do anything to harm her, so that wasn't something he had to worry about, but the sheer dominance he exerted over her life was a bit disconcerting to Aki. It seemed like some deep part of him was programmed as a child to control her life.

"If you'd look, Ryogen," Aki said condsecendingly. "You'd see that the platform I planned to use was already complete. I don't know how far I can get us on what energy I have alone." His eyes darted to Abandi atop his shoulder.

He approached the new-and-improved version of the craft, resting one knee down upon it and bracing himself with a hand as well. With his free hand he motioned for Gemini and Ryogen to join him atop it. The blue film that had covered his body began to flow downwards, through his arm in to the amalgamation of tree and sinew that sat below him. Aki's eyes closed, visualizing the entirety of the vehicle and their weight upon it. His free hand flicked in to his pack, fingering the orbs inside. Alright. Four orbs. Let's hope this is enough.

"Come on, come on. We need to do this as quickly as possible." His eyes still closed, he spoke to the others whom had yet to join him.
 
His master's orders were to seek out and obtain as many artifacts as possible, and now he, Baurthos, had one of the more unique ones in his breast pocket. Daireck had learned of the coin's existence, and that it helped seek out what one desired, but beyond that he seemed to know nothing else about it. Baurthos had been the one investigating, following up on tales and myths and legends, relying on extortion and torture to end up in this town, and all the blood, sweat, and tears shed (most of which were not his own) had finally paid off.

Baurthos had little information on many of the artifacts, only having what Daireck told him to guide him initially. Even with the coin in his possession, Baurthos would likely need to do some additional investigating.

Something was compelling him to remain in the town, though he knew not what. Hours earlier, he had the overwhelming desire to leave, but now that feeling had been replaced. Could this be the coin at work? He was not sure. He did, however, feel the need to leave the mansion and escape the smell of death that filled the entire building. The absence of the merchant family would surely be noticed sooner rather than later, and the families of the guards would likely wonder what had happened to them, assuming they had any. It was a shame, really, it was such a nice house, but he would need to move on before the authorities found their way in.

He gathered a decent amount of gold from the vault, as it wasn't doing anyone any good at the moment, and he snuck out of the mansion at nightfall, deciding to head to the outskirts of town until he could sort out these compulsions. Perhaps more information lurked through these streets, and he'd only murdered a few people. Besides, they were relatively contained, so Baurthos figured he had at least several days before anyone began to notice anything amiss.

Perhaps the coin itself would even aid him in locating information. He would have to experiment with it.
 
Gemini was not surprised by Aki's words, and in fact had thought Ryogen was holding quite a lot back from them, but when Ryogen picked Abandi up and seemed to brush off Aki's claims she became more aware of the situation. Surely if she had not been letting herself get so emotional from all of the recent information brought to her about her husband she would have seen it sooner. Ryogen was hiding something, of course, they all were, everyone did. But he was also playing the victim when Aki clearly thought him to be quite the opposite. Gemini kept her mouth shut, not wanting to stem the argument further, and also determined to watch more than she had been. She had taken them all at face value, but now she saw she needed to play the part of the patient watcher. She needed to push her feelings deep inside her, something she had gotten quite used to doing, and keep quiet. Only speak when spoken to, or if need be. Gemini would watch and learn.

She climbed onto the platform Aki had made earlier, watching his face as he checked his energy reserves. He didn't seem as confident as she had hoped he would be, but with Abandi asleep, they didn't have much choice. She crouched down, not sitting, and held a hand out to Ryogen in case he wanted help with getting Abandi in a comfortable position on the makeshift raft. Her eyes became those of the assassin she was used to being, constantly darting from place to place. Her body was getting back into the groove, not completely relaxed nor completely stiff, meeting in the middle to be ready for anything. She was becoming a different person than any of them had met. She was becoming the assassin she had learned to be.
 
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