Selfish? Selfless? Attalone: Princess of Dirt

Attalone had forgotten how little Giddeon really knew of what they were doing. She thought hard for a moment. "Well first of all..." she started hesitantly. "You see there's a lot you..." she struggled. Not wanting to risk further embarrassment, and taking into account all the things Giddeon had been honest with her about, she decided to be honest. "My name is..." Telzian must have seen the truth in her eyes, because before she could get any further he intervened.

"Not...Important..", Telzian interrupted before Attalone could divulge important information. He did not truly trust this Giddeon yet and the less he knew the better. We are traveling to visit a relative of ours. It seems a wealthy sum was left to each of us by another deceased family member and we are traveling to receive this sum." Telzian's eyes lit up with uncommon giddyness as he hugged Attalone. "Maybe now we will finally be able to afford our dream...a pastry bistro! It's what mother always wanted!" A tear rolled down his cheek as he said this for added effect. "Isn't that right my dear sweet sister Daina!'

Attalone nearly pissed herself when Telzian started going on the way he did. This would sound far fetched to say the least. "Yeaaaaah um, that's...uh...that's about the size of it." she replied, trying to stifle a giggle. Giddeon would never buy this, but he would certainly get the hint that they had something to hide. Attalone looked at him with apologetic eyes. She wished things were different, lying was getting tiresome.

Attalone wouldn't in her wildest dreams be able to think of something to add to Telzian's Bistro story. So instead, she decided to change the subject. "I think we need to procure some mounts."

Giddeon stared into Attalone's eyes, giving a knowing gaze, before quickly bowing his head in respect.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to bring up such unpleasant discussion."

Quickly, he lifted his head, a smile on his face once more, and turned back, continuing to move ahead swiftly.

"But yes, I agree! It certainly wouldn't do to have such a fine lady walk the entirety of this journey! We need horses!"

"Then we'll find some in the next town we reach. I'm certain we can afford at least a pair. I'm not familiar with this road, though, so I don't know how long until we reach town." Merzan had spent most of the trip since the inn listening, barely saying more than was needed to teach Attalone more meditation and how to "find" her power inside herself. He'd have to start teaching her ways to wield the power, and how to defend herself in fights, very soon. But he was too distracted to progress the training, feeling like it had been months since he knew what he wanted or what he was doing. His thoughts drifted back to his last meditation, memories of a recurring nightmare in his mind.



The start of meditation was always the same, never changing from the first time ages ago. His focus would drift, his mind would wander, and everything was a sea of grey around him. He could always tell when he reached the full state, the grey fading back from amethyst "light" spreading out from him, a focus of the power from his heritage. The light shifts as it spreads, forming objects that slowly take on normal colours of their kind until Merzan was left standing in the primary training hall on Tardra.

And from here, he'd focus himself and make plans to follow. He'd review what he knew and refresh his mind on combat techniques. The training grounds he knew well, and was able to say everything there was to know about them. Nowhere in his youth had he spent more time than here, the most stable location he could ever think of.

"You aren't the Oracle! You can't order me around!" A voice he hadn't heard in decades startled Merzan in his meditation, as his mind was unstable and littered with uncertainty. Memories bled through his focus, becoming more real in this state. He remembered saying those words only days before his twelfth birthday...

"And yet, I can. This isn't your home, child. I am in charge of this place, and I say you are too reckless to remain. So out with you!" The large man he knew so well, caretaker of the training grounds and mentor to every warrior that used it. He was easily able to forcefully remove the young Merzan, reckless and angry and alone.

The scene shifted without control, following the chain the memories made. The roof faded, along with two walls. The training dummies and targets disappeared as the training hall was replaced with a city street. An memory older still, Merzan was barely seven and stood beside his neighbors, a few years older than he was. He was smaller than they were, and despite trying to make friends they threw him to the ground. "Why would we want to play with you? All you ever do is break things and fight! Tomil is still nursing that broken arm you gave him, and I think it's time we showed you how much it hurt."

The boys faded as the memory shifted, Merzan never wanting to remember the fight. The young memory was sitting in the alley, mending scrapes and cuts on his own. Shadows walked by, all people he knew he knew, but none that he paid attention to that day. None of them ever stopped to ask if he needed help, or tried to help. Merzan was alone in the memory, despite many others walking around.

The buildings and people faded once more as the chain was followed further, to an open field decorated with totems. The coming of age ceremony; his coming of age ceremony. Merzan watched himself march up to the firepit to continue the tradition. He saw faces he remembered and shadows of memories in the audience. But only one person he wanted to forget, the one standing opposite the firepit, the one saying words that he'll always remember. "As is tradition, family must step forward to lead the boy into becoming a man. But none are here for this child, alone in this land. Alone in his heart. Alone for the ritual. Alone-"

The flames erupted larger, stretching out and turning into a stone relief as the chain quickly progressed. That one word repeated, again and again. This was an ornate stone building with a single other person in the room, the Oracle. "You have stood alone, and yet you push further. Your destiny lies beyond these lands, and never shall you return." Merzan was only a few years younger than he was now in this memory, remembering the beginning of his mission. The beginning of a life within enemy forces. The conversation continued, but he couldn't remember the words. Not until the end, the first time he ever hesitated with an answer. "Do you wish to leave all that you know, and never be the same again? Do you wish to hold a strand of what writes the future, my child?"

The memory froze, as Merzan did hearing that the first time. "My child". Gentle words nobody had said since his mother passed away, only a week before his coming of age ceremony. But that wasn't where the chain progressed to its final point. The building shifted, returning to where he began in his meditation. The memory of the training hall, several years after he came of age. He was alone, as he preferred. Nobody else was in the hall, not even the trainer. The younger Merzan spoke aloud as he trained, anger clear in his voice as he cut as deep into the training dummies as he could. "Too violent? It's the military! They're soldier! What do they want, healers? And too reckless for construction or missions! What am I supposed to do, sit at home? I don't have anything else!" He panted as an amethyst aura surrounded him, turning sharply and sending crystal needles flying everywhere. "What do they want from me? What am I supposed to do?"

Everything faded quickly, back to the endless grey mist that the meditation starts with. Merzan couldn't focus any further, couldn't go any deeper than that initial state. But he couldn't stop thinking about those last questions, thinking they weren't quite right anymore.


What do I do now? What do I want to do?

A sound could be heard emenating from within the deep chasm caused by the quake as time went by. Inside was a lone man climbing his way out while his hair color faded from silver-white to black, like a light switch. Finally after what seemed like hours the man got to the top of the steep cliff, and as he looked around he found his two handed sword still sticking out of the ground. As he reached out to touch it his hair flared black stopping him from reaching it, but not for long as he soon grabbed it anyhow while his hair settled down on white.

"Now," Captain Kurasu said, "Time to report to Teslament, but first a warning." He said as he grabbed a small orb from his pocket which he quietly whispered into with magical incantations. After a few moments he opened up the palm of his hand and let the solid sphere fly towards a location, following Telzian. "After all," He began, "A chase is more fun, would you not agree Telzian, Son of Wrath?"

It was much further to the nearest town than any of them had expected leaving them  aching and tired. They reached an Inn in the seedier part of town and once it was deemed safe settled down for the night. Telzian and Merzan each took turns with the watch knowing that at any moment they may have to flee for their lives. Once morning came Telzian stalked off to find some transportation. He returned an hour later with three horses. He stabled them not far from the Inn and went inside. He gathered the party, minus Giddeon, near him in their joined suite. " 'Daina', We need to form a plan. First off. What are we going to do about Giddeon, at some point we will either have to ditch him or tell him the truth. I vote for the former but as always Princess it is your call. Second...we need a plan on how to proceed from here. Teslament is actively hunting us and we aren't yet strong enough to hold her off. If both her and Karasu come after us together we are doomed....So...we need to pick a route carefully." He laid out several maps on the table. Looking to Merzan he nodded, "I am open to suggestions."