Abandi

"Abandi will wake soon, she'll give you the precious energy you crave" Ryogen said bluntly as he handed his sisters sleeping frame to Gemini as she sat on the wooden craft. Her eyes twitched beneath her eyelids, sparks of energy crackling in the air as she started to slowly regain consciousness. Ryogen sat cross legged next to his sister, his back turned from Aki. He was focusing on keeping his sisters surplus energy contained-like he normally needed to do when she awoke. This time would be different- she needed to be at least at half power to transfer energy to the magician, so that was the only amount of energy Ryogen would let her have. Only a couple minutes passed before His sister propped herself up on her elbows, exhaling a sigh of depression.</SPAN>

"ugh" Abandi's eyes opened sluggishly, her hands reaching up to wipe away crystalized energy that had formed and attached to her eyelashes. "What happened?" </SPAN>

Ryogen was quick to turn around, his eyes peering into his sisters- making sure there wasn't a trace of rage left in her angelic face. He took a moment to study her, reaching out and cupping the side of her face tenderly. There was a part of him that died every time he was forced to put his sister to sleep; but what else could he do? It was that or potentially watch her kill innocent people; Ryogen wasn't willing to take that risk. </SPAN>

Abandi turned and looked at Gemini, a soft smile spreading across her face when she looked at the motherly woman.</SPAN>

"The magician needs you to help him power the raft, can you do that?" </SPAN>

"Of course I can…" Abandi snapped back at her brother, giving him a strange look of distrust; as if disappointed that her brother doubted her power. Abandi stood up slowly, her bright grey eyes switching to Aki, rolling her shoulders back in preparation. She clapped her hands together, sparks of energy bouncing from her skin and connecting into arcs of what looked similar to electricity. As she spread out her fingers and pulled her hands away from one another, the bright purple streams of magic followed. Her eyes became flooded with energy, transitioning from their normal silver grey, to bright, vibrant violet.</SPAN>

"Are you ready for me Aki?"</SPAN>
 
Try as he might, he could not ignore the previous argument with Ryogen. His stomach turned over as Abandi awoke and her brother spoke so softly to her. The tip of his tongue burned with the words he wanted to say, the exposition he wanted to lay on to Abandi. He couldn't imagine the thoughts in Ryogens head; he controlled her power as he saw fit, directed her however he wanted. It reminded him of his own dealings with those who would suppress him, with the average bystander who was afraid of his magic. He could feel the anger rising again. Now was, unfortunately, not the time to be the causation of another confrontation.

Aki loosed a sigh, his inner frustrations exiting his body in the puff of air. "Yes, Abandi. Just like we practiced. Feel yourself flow through me, don't give me more or less than what I need.

Abandi nodded and, like they had practiced, placed her hand upon his shoulder. Aki gave a quick glance to Gemini and Ryogen, making sure that they were ready for departure. Not bothering to check verbally, he opened himself up and let Abandi's energy flow in to him once more. At once the craft jolted in to the air, hovering vertically before taking off rapidly. The ascent and following velocity was both jostling to the riders and to Aki, his emotions translating into an increased output. Before he knew it, he felt himself tiring, having quickly burned through the excess energy in his body. The craft began to rock slightly, his control waning as his strength faded.

He uttered something unintelligible, eyes coming off the skies before them to find the pack at his side. His fingers followed his gaze in to the pack, procuring one of the four remaining orbs. He held the sphere up in his hand and it quickly disintegrated, Aki shivering slightly as the fullness rushed back in to him. Turning his head to the side, he barked back at Abandi. His voice was low and aggressive, tuned down due to the anger directing his actions. "Up the pace, Abandi. I just had to use an orb." His eyes strained to the side, trying their best to get a view of her and her reaction. Already, the purple veins were beginning to appear in his eyes and they shone a vibrant sapphire once more.
 
Abandi had been watching Aki closely, wondering if she was doing a good enough job. When he started yelling back at her, she assumed the worst, closing her eyes and releasing more power. She thought it might be too much, that she would hurt the magician, but he didn't make a sound. She could feel her hand begin to phase into Aki's body, shivering slightly as that romantic feeling came back and spread through her body in form of a electric tingle.</SPAN></SPAN>

Aki's body was drawing her in, pulling up her forearm and towards her chest, forcing her to bend at the waist and raise up onto her toes. She placed her solid hand on his back, withholding her energy from him and when her face was close enough to his cheek, Abandi couldn't contain her feelings any longer. With a painful gasp, pulled her arm out of his back and closed the circuit again with her mouth, pressed firmly against his as he turned his head to look at her. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi stayed on her tiptoes, letting their kiss last for as long as Aki would allow it. She couldn't hold herself back, the more energy she gave him, the more involved she wanted to be. She wanted to be close to him, pressed tightly like magnets would. His body wanted to drain all of her and she wanted it too. Her lips parted gently as a sigh of pleasure escaped her womanly form. </SPAN></SPAN>

Ryogen gawked at his sister as she kissed the magician. He couldn't believe his eyes- what was she thinking?! Ryogen prepared to try and stand up on the raft, to break up the kiss and stop his sister. He was thrown off balance and brought to his knees when Gemini reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him down. The look in her eyes was threatening, but motherly and Ryogen knew he had lost.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Gemini did not understand the feelings flowing between Aki and Abandi were caused mostly by magic, but she did hear the painful gasp Abandi made as she pulled her arm free of Aki's body, saw him twist around to, probably, find out what was going on, and almost heard the contentness in Abandi when she sighed at the touch of Aki's lips on her own. No longer a little girl. Now a woman. Thinking to herself she saw Ryogen begin to stand and probably ruin this special moment for the young couple, she grabbed his arm to pull him down before he could stop them. Not only would breaking the two apart ruin their moment and happiness, but it would probably cause a lot of anger, and that could essentially kill them. She shook her head slowly at Ryogen, giving him a look that she hoped would keep him from doing anything stupid.
 
As he stared back at Abandi, that familiar closeness washed over him. The same feeling that had engulfed him at the end of their trial in the woods had taken over him now. It seemed that she felt it too; he could see her getting closer and he could feel her kinetic essence slipping inside him. Flashes of blue and purple crackled over his torso as their bond grew stronger, as she fell more in to him and his body directed more and more of her through him. From the corner of his eye, he could see her falling closer to him, his body shivering as she phased through him.

Her lips found his and he did not object. His eyes instantly closed and his mouth wrapped around hers. Their connection became even wider now; his body was drawing energy from her at a rapid pace, as though he sought to absorb her in her entirety. Her energy washed over him and became visible, wispy tendrils of purple floating up off his body as his entire spectrum changed. The craft had begun to slow and descend slightly, mostly due to their embrace destroying his concentration. It dipped lower, lower and lower still until it was just skimming the treeline and he still held his lips against hers.

The bottom of the craft scraped along a branch that extended far beyond the canopy of the forest and it rocked the craft. Abandi, standing on her tippy toes, was sent crashing sideways, breaking their kiss. Aki turned quickly and took one step towards her, sweeping his arm out under hers and wrapping it around her back. He pulled her close, his other hand still extended palm down towards the craft and emitting a visible beam of energy which was engulfing and controlling the wood beneath their feet.

Aki's head rolled forward, his forehead touching down against hers. "Abandi..." He pulled back from her face for a moment, gazing down in to her royal purple eyes. His own eyes reflected their bond more so now than ever; the sapphire was surrounded by a ring of deep purple, and starting at the top of his eye there began a thick spiral of purple which circled around his eye and formed in to another ring around his cornea. Once more his face neared hers, their lips brushing together, and he spoke breath-filled words in to her mouth. "There's so much I want to say to you right now, but I can't find the words."

He connected this kiss yet again, this time drawing on her energy stores stronger than before. The energy surrounding his body had become entirely purple now, and was flaring off his form in sporadic and violent outbursts. Flexing his free hand, a surge of energy shot down through his palm, the beam connecting his hand and the platform growing in size and intensity as he took more and more from Abandi. The craft responded in kind, accelerating to obscene speeds and titling forward to keep the riders safely glued to its top.
 
Abandi had been lost in their moment, but when the raft abruptly shook to the side and she was jostled out of her position behind Aki, she screamed, caught off guard. When Aki swiftly responded and pulled her back up, her heart was thumping out of her chest, her eyes flicking wildly with the flux of power her adrenaline had created.

Abandi found herself breathless as Aki lowered his forehead against hers, his eyes reflected everything she wanted. The two of them together, their power intertwined and working together as a flourishing purple and blue spiral. Her body jolted as he kissed her again, pushing up into his embrace and deepening their kiss. Her body released more and more energy the longer they kept their place the longer her she wanted to remain that way; frozen in time.

Ryogen felt enraged by their open display of affection, his mouth pulling down into a dissatisfied scowl. He wasn't sure if this was his sisters first kiss, but he didn't want to think about it! The longer her stayed on the raft with them, the longer he wanted to just close his eyes and escape. His whole life had been dedicated to keep his sister out of harms way...maybe it was time for someone else to take over for him? He shook his head, disagreeing with his own mind; of course he was supposed to keep protecting her. If this magician did anything to hurt his sister, he was going to kill him-no questions asked.

But, perhaps she wasn't the little girl that he so desperately wanted her to be...Abandi was more or less an adult now and Ryogen knew he couldn't keep that from her. He could keep a hold on her magic when she was dangerous enough, and if this Aki guy was serious enough about helping; he would do what was right if it came down to it.
 
Their embrace last for what seemed like an eternity. Aki could feel every dent and crease in her lips, as well as the transfer of energy that was happening between them. Aside from hers and his masters touch, he had rarely experienced the transfer, but he had certainly never experienced it like this with his master. It almost felt as though he was sucking it out of her, breathing it in to his lungs and filling himself with her more than he ever had before.

The energy flowing in to his body was overwhelming. He broke away from the kiss in an exaggerated fashion, loosing a small gasp as he sucked air back in to his body after having forgotten to breathe for so long. With a gentle shove he pushed Abandi back to her feet, letting his arm slip out from behind the small of her back. His spiral eyes stared in to hers for a moment, adding a soft smile to the warm gaze. He turned his back to her now, placing his other hand in a similar manner to the first, palm facing downward towards the platform, he closed his eyes. He had taken in too much energy anyways; his vision had begun blurring, Abandi's face having gone in and out of focus as he stared before. Energy flowed through his other arm, purple tendrils curling over his arm and falling down the raft. He bent slightly at the knees, instructing Abandi to do the same. The raft tilted even farther forward, and his energy extended slightly up from the raft to curl around Ryogen's and Gemini's ankles, holding them to the platform.

The raft moved faster than before now, the wind resistance pushing his lips open and causing his cheeks to flap comically. He poured the energy in to their travel, advancing them to their destination at a speed that Aki could only dream of. Norwood grew larger and larger on the horizon, and Aki slowed the craft immensely as they rapidly approached. The platform was guided to a cover of trees approximately a mile and a half outside of the town, slowly hovering in a descent, similar to its takeoff. It hit the ground without so much as the grass moving beneath, settling nicely and calmly on the soil.

Aki turned to the three of them, the spirals a bit wider and more pronounced in his eyes. "We're..." He couldn't finish his sentence before his eyes drooped closed and he fell backwards, his back hitting the ground first and his head following with a loud smack.
 
The kissing was intense but Gemini kept her eye on Ryogen, making sure he did nothing to stop the two lovebirds. When Aki and Abandi broke apart Aki made the transport move faster than before, Gemini saw the tendrils around her and Ryogen's feet, and while she knew it was helping her stay on, she still grabbed the edge of the raft hard enough to turn her knuckles white. At this speed she could not keep her eyes open, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, only opening them once the craft slowed its pace. The sight of the city before them make her heart thump hard in her chest. I'm almost to you my love. Almost there. I love you. She quietly thought to herself, trying to project her thoughts towards the city, hoping her Leoric would hear them. Though she knew it impossible, her hopes were always up when she thought of her husband.

Aki lowered them down gently before falling backwards to the ground. Gemini quickly responded, moving over to him and checking the back of his head for any cuts, noting only a small knot which would grow and create a headache for the wizard but nothing more. She cradled his head in her hands and looked up to Abandi.

"Abandi, if you would like to sit here with him, I'm sure he would like the first thing he sees to be your face when he wakes up. I must go into Norwood immediately. If you come in later I will find you, no need to look for me, just go to an inn or tavern." With that she placed Aki's head gently on the ground and turned away, running through the small wood and towards the giant city.
 
Abandi screamed when Aki hit the ground, for some reason, she wasn't fast enough to get to him and Gemini beat her there. She sat down next to her, tucking in her dress under her knees as Gemini switched his head from her lap to the ground. Abandi quickly repositioned herself so she could cradle his head in her lap, considering it was more comfortable than the floor. Her body had remained in its adult form and she grew confused as she looked down at her chest, fitting tightly and uncomfortably in the small linen dress. </SPAN></SPAN>

Her brother stood close by, rubbing the sides of his head as he thought of how to put it to his sister. He reached down and took her hand, staring deeply into her eyes. Ryogen's hair was a mess from the sudden burst of speed, but he managed to still look threatening and protective.</SPAN></SPAN>

"Listen Abandi…" He started, running his hand through his hair, fidgeting a bit nervously as he looked into his sisters eyes. He wanted to follow Gemini, but he felt he had to apologize to his sister before doing so. The fact that the magician was unconscious made him feel even better about confessing his ignorance. </SPAN></SPAN>

"I'm sorry for holding you back, it's just…when you were younger, you were so innocent. You couldn't control your power at all, and when I learned what I could do-how I could suppress you; I assumed it was my role in life." A smile spread across his face as he knelt down, kissing Abandi on the forehead. "But now I see how grown up you are, you don't need me to hold you back all the time. I understand that you aren't the little girl I wanted you to remain and I'm sorry for forcing you to live that way out of my own insecurities. From now on, I will only suppress your raw power when absolutely necessary- I promise" He didn't wait for a response, taking off swiftly in the direction Gemini had gone. </SPAN></SPAN>

Ryogen sighed heavily as he ran, feeling a great weight falling off his shoulders as he released his hold on his sister, allowing her true form to come to the surface, and with that- her true mind. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi felt the top button of her dress fling off, creating an impressive show of cleavage. She felt woozy for a moment and closed her eyes.</SPAN></SPAN>
Suddenly Abandi felt the strangest feeling she had ever experienced. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi was the only one left in her head.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Baurthos began to feel a presence, a force, an energy, something... He could not truly describe it, but the coin was definitely radiating something in response. Perhaps another artifact was nearby? Not terribly close, but certainly near the city of Norwood. Was this how the coin worked its magic? Baurthos could barely contain his excitement, as it would seem like the myths and legends surrounding this artifact were not in fact myths, for this was something he had never felt before acquiring the coin.

He threw open the door of the shack he had found abandoned, aided by the coin, at least so he thought, and began to walk. The hunt was on.
 
Gemini ran at a jog, beyond excited at the prospect of finally seeing her husband, but keeping herself from sprinting and keeping her wits about her. She made it to the entrance of the city, where the guards just looked at her as she entered, not bothering to question her, which was good, the last thing she wanted was to speak to guards. Making her way through the city she looked for the sign that had been described to her by Abandi when her hands were in the thief's head.
 
Ryogen kept a fast pace, falling only a few moments behind Gemini. He knew she was going to immediately check the corner store that his sister had described from the very interesting 'interrogation' she had done to the random thief. He followed Gemini through the city streets, keeping his distance. He didn't want to hold her back, knowing she would be as cautious as she needed to be. </SPAN></SPAN>

Ryogen stood in a doorway, leaning against the hardwood siding as he watched her approach the sigh, wondering if he should just offer to go with her or not.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Gemini entered the store that was below the sign that Abandi had described to her, jingling the bell that hung above the door as she entered. There was a short, sweet looking old man behind the counter.

"Hello there young lass, how may I help you today?" He asked her, and she smiled breifly at him, wondering if he would have any information.

"Well, I am looking for someone very important to me, and I happen to know he was standing outside your shop a day or two ago. Do you remember seeing a tall, blonde, handsome man with a bow made of oak, and a quiver that had a beautiful design around its outside leather?" She waited in anticipation, keeping it all inside, as the man thought.

"You know miss, I do remember the quiver, though where that man has gone I can't say, for he only stopped in front of my shop window for a few moments before moving on. I'm sorry miss." He must have seen the disappointment in her eyes when he told her he did not know where the man had gone.

"It is quite alright sir, I can only cast my hopes and wish that I end up with some useful information. Thank you, have a good day." She slowly walked back out of the store, looking left and right before deciding to head left. Without knowing why she felt that would be the direction she would find her love in. She hoped she was right.
 
He laid unconscious for the better part of a half hour. After some time, his hand began to twitch, which was followed by a soft groan. His eyes fluttered open, the darkness peeling back to reveal large lavender eyes and dark hair falling over his face. Abandi had gotten close to him in her excitement over his awakening, her eyes and face reflecting the happiness that ran through her.

"A...bandi?" His speech was slow, his mind still jumbled from the fall.

He moved to prop himself up and Abandi helped him, pushing him all the way in to a sitting position. He rubbed the side of his head and followed the throbbing to the back, finding a nice lump located there. He forced a blink one, two, three times, and looked around the immediate area. Only Abandi and the raft were counted for, the other two party members mysteriously absent. Aki couldn't find any evidence that they had camped in the area, either.

"Abandi, where are Ryogen and Gemini? Please tell me I got us down okay. I blacked out after..." His eyes found hers once more and a slight redness came to his face. "After our kiss."
 
Abandi felt electric when Aki finally awoke, helping him sit up and quickly answering all of his questions.
"It's alright, try and be careful" She pushed gently on his back, helping him stay sitting. She locked eyes with him, smiling gently as she began to explain.
"My brother went with Gemini into the city to try and find Leoric. They left me here with you so you could recover in your own time and we can catch up" She ran her hand over his forehead, wiping away some dirt that had settled over his face when her fell backward to the ground.

"Are... are you alright?"
 
Baurthos saw the man from across the street, unsure of what the coin had been leading him too. This was another of Daireck's lackeys, Leoric, he seemed to recall. He already had an artifact, so why would the coin lead him there? Essentially, Daireck had The Genesis, it was just in Leoric's possession. Baurthos sighed in frustration, and Leoric noticed him from across the road.

The two locked eyes, staring at each other in silence, for what seemed like an eternity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQGGQ-FCe_w

No words were exchanged, and no blows either, but neither trusted the other, nor did they enjoy working toward the same goal. Baurthos had not expected to encounter Leoric in this town, and it infuriated him, because here he was wasting time staring down his rival henchman when he could be seeking out the next artifact. But the coin was driving him to Leoric... Or was it?

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

Leoric had been on the trail of the girl for a long time now, under direct orders from Daireck. The girl possessed an artifact, a powerful one, or rather, perhaps she was one. Leoric could not be totally sure, but one thing was clear, he was to bring the girl to Daireck.

Leoric followed tales of destruction, evidence of this girl's immense power, a power that she apparently had trouble controlling, but that Daireck thought he could tame. Leoric would not disobey his master, but he was now following a dead-end trail in Norwood, and was awaiting further orders from Daireck.

He stopped in front of a shop window for a period of time. A man across the way had caught his attention, a man he knew to be one of Daireck's other lesser lackeys, sent out in search of any artifacts, regardless of their usefulness. Leoric despised Baurthos, and figured the feeling was mutual from the long staredown the two men gave each other. Leoric finally broke the stare, scoffed and walked on, while Baurthos evaporated back into the shadows of the nearby alleyway.

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

Baurthos watched as Leoric walked on, and he sunk back into the alley behind him. Leoric had an infinite quiver, a formidable weapon for an archer. Baurthos was certainly no archer, yet he realized he wanted that quiver just because. Why should Leoric get it? Baurthos had been there from early on, Leoric was a fairly new recruit in Daireck's army, yet he had been brough closer to their- no HIS- master, and Baurthos simply could not understand.

Perhaps if the opportunity arose...

He would need to silence thoughts like these, this kind of thinking was dangerous. Perhaps Leoric didn't think... Baurthos smiled at this thought, at this possible justification for why Daireck had kept him closer. Perhaps he was a better puppet, but Baurthos knew that he was the better henchman. No matter. He would simply need to beat Leoric to the discovery of the next artifacts.

Some time later, a woman walked into the building Leoric had stood in front of, and after a moment, suddenly ran out and off. Baurthos was puzzled, but intrigued, and more so when a one-armed man followed the woman's trail soon after. The Coin began to radiate, and Baurthos suspected perhaps this man had an artifact, so he carefully followed him.

A confrontation loomed.

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

Leoric decided to get some air, and so he climbed the bell tower of the local temple, and while getting a nice breeze, he also gained a fantastic view of the town. He could again see Baurthos' head bobbing through the sketchy alleys, sticking to the darkness. But now he noticed a woman, who appeared to be searching for something. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be following the path he had taken through the town a few hours earlier.

Curious, he thought. The woman appeared to be followed by a man with one arm, who in turn began getting shadowed by Baurthos, and Leoric knew something to be amiss. Was this woman after him for some reason? As far as he could tell, he had never seen her before. Something about the man following her, though, that was compelling. He decided to climb down from the tower, perhaps he could corner this wench before she could get the drop on him.
 
Gaining back a more normal form of his strength, he pushed himself gingerly to his feet. His equilibrium had quickly returned, and he began to stretch out his joints to accentuate this fact. Arms were pulled across his chest and over his head, low sweeping bends were taken to extend the muscles in his leg and he rolled his neck to check for any kinks. His hands ran over his head, raking his fingers quickly back and forth through his disheveled light brown hair. He winced slightly as his fingers ran over the bump on the back of his head, giving a soft nod to Abandi as he found his only weak spot.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I've got this small bump on the back of my head that's pretty sore right now, but I'll live." He smiled and stretched his arms as though he were yawning. "We should probably follow after them, yeah? I wouldn't want to miss the tearful reunion of Gemini and Leoric." The redness, which had disappeared from his face just moments prior, made a small return. "I'm a sucker for tearful reunions."

One hand was extended towards Abandi, offering her either his hand or his elbow. "Shall we?"
 
Gemini felt her way though the city. The assassin side of her coming out more and more as she kept searching. She asked around in the shops for the man with the quiver that had a golden design around the outside. It seemed like everyone had seen him, and no one knew where he went. They also all seemed stand-offish when she asked if they had seen him, even the ones who were very friendly stepped back when replying they had seen him but knew not where he had gone. She kept on the path she thought he had taken, when she made it to the beginning of one road where a tower sat at the end she just knew he was in there. Carefully she made her way down the road, taking small, slow steps and keeping herself out in the open.
 
Abandi grabbed Aki's hand without a moment of hesitation, this time only allowing a slight spark as their flesh touched. It made her heart skip a beat as they started walking together. </SPAN></SPAN>

As the continued toward the city, Abandi kept eyeing her chest, wondering if Aki was noticing it as well. She was embarrassed by the popped button at the top of her dress, hoping she didn't seem like a tramp for her cleavage hanging out. She wanted badly to get a new dress, hoping Aki wouldn't mind if they stopped by a store for her to purchase one.</SPAN></SPAN>

"Hey…Aki?" She said coyly, "Can we go shopping first? I'm… having a bit of an issue…"

_____


Ryogen shadowed Gemini as she searched, watching from side streets and keeping himself out of her line of vision. He promised himself he would remain hidden, unless she absolutely needed his help.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Leoric saw this silly woman inching towards the tower. What kind of fool, he thought, would stay in the open while approaching a tower?

Obviously, she knew he wasn't still in it, and he knew that she knew, so Leoric was puzzled as to her actions. If he had still been up there, he would've surely shot her right in the face, had he wanted to. But... he was very curious... no, concerned... as to why he was being followed.

The woman approached where Leoric was standing, hidden in the shadows. He had made sure that the one-armed man tailing her was far off before making his move. If she had no idea she was being followed, then she definitely never expected Leoric to grab her from the street and drag her into the alley, into the shadows.

"Why are you following me?"
 
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