Elian was slightly taken aback by the speed the door was opened, and even more when Will assumed that something was wrong. "Wrong? No, nothing is wrong." He said reassuringly. ~Perhaps his nerves are affected by the stress? Perhaps that is why he thought something was wrong?~ Elian thought and decided that it would be best to get to the point as soon as possible.
"Well..." He said and crossed his arms across his chest. "I am right when I assume that we do not know where we are headed? If so, I thought I could help by flying ahead of the ship to look for land, though I'm afraid I'd get lost if I were to do so." He raised his head to look up at some clouds that had gathered above the ship. "You have some control over clouds, or rain, right? Could you then gather clouds above the boat, then all I would have to do to find the boat is follow the clouds." He returned his gaze to meet Will's, wondering whether he'd approve of his suggestion.
edited 23rd Jun '11 9:16:13 AM by AustralAnima
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca LoquiturConflicting emotions welled up within Will as he listened to Elian's explanation of events. On the one hand, he was somewhat irritated at the fact that the situation was not as urgent as he had believed, and thus he felt that his concern had been somewhat wasted. Furthermore, such a loud knock would almost certainly have woken up Jamie—though to be perfectly honest, the young man had no idea if she was still asleep or not—and doubtless would have made her morning miserable.
On the other hand, what the haggard and emaciated Inheritor was currently suggesting had struck right at the heart of the matter of Will's current vexation; not only that, but it provided a solution that should prove satisfactory, at least in the short term.
"That could indeed work," he said after a moment's contemplation, "but I'm concerned as to how long you'll be able to stay up there; after all, the only points of land I can see on the horizon look fairly far off. Are you sure that you'll be able to handle that?"
The Danse Macabre CodexElian let out a bemused laugh and raised his head to let the wind flow through his withered hair. "The wind is strong and on our side." He said as he turned his gaze to the direction the wind was blowing. "If I follow it, and let it carry me for most of the way, I should indeed be able to reach land quickly."
He was still quite hungry, and that could affect how well he'd fly, but he decided that he shouldn't mention this as he was sure he'd be able to do it anyhow.
"I am not sure, but I've been contemplating on ways to use my ability. Oh, but yeah, you do not know what powers I have inherited. I cannot recall whether I have told you yet, but I have inherited the essence of Chronos, the primordial Greek god of time. I possess the power to slow and speed up time around me..." He said as he thoughtfully began stroking his goatee. "I do not know if I'd be able to do so while flying, but if I were to speed up time behind me, I think it would make the wind behind me move faster, and there could be a possibility that this would push me further. It would require a lot of concentration, but as long as I rest when I reach land I could easily make it back to the boat. Also, if I were to speed up time around myself as I rested, the time it'd take to rest relative to real-time could be shortened significantly..." He seemed almost to be speaking to himself as if thinking out loud, but the more he spoke the more confident he seemed that he'd be able to do this.
When he had finished he raised his gaze to meet Will's yet again and said "As long as you keep those clouds over this ship so that I won't get lost, there should be no problem whatsoever. When I get to land, I can look for some sign of civilization, or perhaps a source of food... God knows we need that." At these last few words Elian couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The sentence was filled with irony.
edited 23rd Jun '11 10:14:53 AM by AustralAnima
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca LoquiturThough still somewhat concerned, Will could see that his words were not about to sway Elian from this course of action—and furthermore, this was their best shot at getting somewhere in this vast ocean. The young man nodded once, then closed his eyes and spread his arms wide as he began to concentrate; overhead came the distant and muted rumble of thunder as grey clouds laden with unshed rain began to form and coallesce above the ship.
The Danse Macabre Codex"Very well." Elian said with a reassuring voice and spread his wings. "Wish me luck!" And with a flap of his wings his feet left the deck and he flew off into the distance, getting as much height as he could before he let the wind carry him towards his destination; the mysterious and far away horizon.
Oh, what a great sensation it was. The wind hitting against his face, gently caressing his feathered wings; Elian couldn't imagine anything better then flying. He had quickly gotten over the shock of his transformation thanks to those wings, as ever since he was a child he had wished he could fly. He had dreamed of it, even in waking there was little else he thought of as a child. The sensation of letting the wind carry you through the skies was ever greater then he'd ever imagined; but of course it could get a little cold.
Even without bending time behind him, something which he found quite difficult even though he let the wind do most of the work for him, he sped across the heavens with great speed. He only moved his wings to adjust his heading and to get up higher when he needed and was therefore able to conserve as much energy as possible. He was right about the wind; it was definitely on his side, and it didn't take long before he could see a rather big island not far from where he was, and he was sure that there would be some kind of food there, whether it be animals or fruit.
edited 23rd Jun '11 2:07:28 PM by AustralAnima
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca LoquiturThe godling had been looking at Elian, high up in the sky, but he turned to look at Regg. Or rather, Renard started to turn around, but it was Inari that looked Regg in the eye. Hair, eyes and clothes...the change was done in an instant, and it showed that the two different entities were becoming really well synchronized.
"Oh, good morning, Regg. Good to see that you're eager to train. Come, let's go to the prow."
Inari walked forward to the prow, the pirates shying away from her as she passed them.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!"Yes, I slept very well, thank you. And you?"
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!Inari smiled.
"It is that obvious? Yes; they are a sign of my true strength returning. Of course, I am still some ways off from where I was back in the old world, but I am much stronger than before. And the pearl helps."
The two of them reached the end of the boat.
"Speaking of which, let's start the lesson. I have discerned that this pearl holds two main abilities. The first is to control the tides. Now, there are two ways to do that. One is to hold it in your hands and focus on the ocean. It is hard to tell this far from land, so we won't practice with it. It will be too difficult. But if you can attain the contact with the ocean first, then it will be much easier later. Take it and try."
She handed the blue pearl to Regg, stifling the powerful positive emotions that she received from it.
"Concentrate on the pearl, and then reach out to the sea through it. Think of it as if you're extending a branch to something far away. Once you get contact and can keep it for five seconds, break it off. We don't want to cause any natural disasters. And don't get discouraged if you don't get it the first times; sometimes it's very difficult in the start when you don't have the affinity for it. But it's possible with enough effort and practice. Now try."
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!Inari smiled mischievously.
"You will know."
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!As Elian drew nearer, he would see that the island was indeed fairly large; while by no means a nation or continent unto itself, the verdant landmass was noticeably larger than Evangel's island by quite a large degree. Sandy beaches and shores ringed the island's perimeter, and further inland could be seen a dense forest of palms, ferns and other tropical trees; seagulls and pelicans wheeled overhead or bobbed along on the shallows, filling the air with their plaintive cries, and even from this distance the myriad sounds of the jungle could be heard, if faintly.
It was a lush spot of land, laden with countless signs of life; doubtless Elian and his fellow Inheritors would have good hunting if they moored here. Yet perhaps more noteworthy than the abundance of animal life were the signs of prior habitation by humans; scattered across the beaches were several sets of doric and ionic columns, their fluted segments and capitals pitted and worn from erosion, some still standing tall whilst others had long since toppled from their plinths, spared from being smashed to ruin only by the relative softness of the sandy shores. Here and there could be seen small amphorae and vases, half-buried in the sand, their contents having evaporated under the sun's intense blue scrutiny long since. Finally, the faint hints of a small path, partially overgrown from disuse, could be seen winding its way from the beach to the edge of the forest and beyond.
Clearly this place had not been inhabited for some time, yet the people who had once dwelt here had certainly left their mark. What other secrets might lie hidden within the jungle, waiting to be discovered?
The Danse Macabre CodexEoin found himself with nothing to do at all. It seemed to him that when there wasn't tension and near-death experiences, this place was quite boring.
Or maybe it was just the boat.
He began absentmindedly singing a favourite tune of his from childhood.
My name is Cu Chulainn. Beside the raging sea I am left to moan. Sorrow I am, for I brought down my only son.Elian was quite surprised to see signs of civilization as he drew closer to the island. It was a beautiful sight, seeing the island from above; it reminded him of a beautiful painting of sorts. Before he landing, Elian decided that he should go lower. What if there were hostiles on this island? He had seen more of hostile people and creatures then friendly ones since he first came to the cube. He flew just above the water surface to avoid being spotted flying in the air, and it didn't take long before he recognized the columns.
"Those are...!" He exclaimed, quite surprised at seeing something which invoked such nostalgia. He felt a certain excitement build in his chest which caused him to make a rather rough landing as he hurried to inspect. "Both Doric and Ionic..." He muttered silently to himself, letting his hand stroke down the side of one that was still standing. "They seem a little worn... Possibly corroded by the strong ocean wind?" He directed his gaze to one of the fallen columns and gave out a weak sigh. "He who builds his house on sand..." He was curious to find out why they, whoever they were, would raise these columns on a beach without any buildings anywhere near. This was when he noticed the old path leading into the dense forest.
He pondered on whether he should follow the old path or fly back to the ship; turning around he could clearly see the dark clouds in the distance. The sounds of birds and animals could be heard deep inside the forest, something which caused him a great comfort, knowing that in case there were nobody still around of those who had raised the columns, he had at least found food.
After a minute or two he decided that he should continue his investigation of the island and walked into the forest, though staying a little off the path in case he'd be spotted by something, or someone. He wished to stay as invisible as he possibly could, and kneeled to let the tall grass obscure his shape and also tucked his wings as neatly as he could on his back.
edited 23rd Jun '11 7:05:29 PM by AustralAnima
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca LoquiturThe jungle was as thick on the interior as it seemed from the outside. The sun was blocked by the foliage from above Elian as he moved down the path. Not a lot of wildlife seemed to be in the area though, only the traditional insects and small mammals that scurried in the trees. As Elian moved forward he would start to catch the sound of voices.
"-ends. We should not fight. Obviously it was fate that brought us to this place. We must make the best of it, or risk bringing shame to those kind enough to gift us with a second chance such as this."
"But we're in the middle of no where, in the middle of an fucking ocean. I don't know why the hell we let you guide us here. I should have been the one that lead."
"uuuuurgh your voices are giving me a headache."
"Come now girls, lets not allow despair to set in and darken our spirits. We must make the best of things, besides, our guest is here."
"Told you he was coming."
"wooooopie"
edited 23rd Jun '11 7:10:37 PM by Oni-Lord
As he made his way through the dense forest, Elian suddenly realized that something was making it's way up his arm. He looked down to see a rather big spider-like creature, but he didn't react like most people would and tried to brush it away, but rather held his arm up to a tree and let the spider crawl off by itself. He gave the little arachnid a weak smile as he suddenly heard a group of voices. His ears twitched as he ducked, focusing all of his concentration on the sounds coming from somewhere through the thick tree growth.
The voices sounded as if they were female, this being confirmed when he heard the word 'girls' in their conversation. Seeing the thick vegetation around him he couldn't help but think about the Greek legends about the amazonian raiders, though upon hearing that they were talking about a 'guest' he first thought that they were referring to him, but how could they? They couldn't have seen him come from the air, he had made sure he couldn't have been.
Anyhow, whether they were talking about him or someone else, he had to make sure he wasn't seen or found. He examined his surroundings carefully and tried to think of paths he could use to escape if he had to. Flying was out of the question; the trees were way to thick to fly through. His wings would just get caught in the branches. Running was also out of the question as with the extra weight of his wings he'd be slowed down considerably. What then seemed the most practical would be to hide, and there was more then enough hiding places within that dense a forest, though where would he then hide?
Hiding in the trees would surely give him the most cover, but if he'd be discovered he would have nowhere to go. He'd definitely get caught in that case. Hiding in the shrubbery would have a similar effect if he got stuck in it, and it wouldn't give as much cover because of his wings which could poke out if the bush weren't big enough. This was surely not his terrain, and for a second Elian couldn't help but cursed at his wings.
~If only I didn't have these damned wings!~ He thought.
But what if these females weren't hostile? Should he just approach them and hope for the best? Could he really afford to take such a risk? What was he to do? A thousand questions popped into his mind at once and his mind was starting to get overwhelmed.
~Don't have any choice, I have to clear my thoughts...~ And with that he bended the time around him to give himself more time to think.
~More information... I need more information... Hide while you try to get more information...~ This was the best solution he could think of at the moment, as he needed to find out whether these females were hostile or friendly.
If they were friendly they could possibly help by giving him and the others in the group of godlings help of some sorts. It then suddenly struck him; why hadn't he thought of it before!? These females could possibly be the ones who built the columns!
~No, no they couldn't. How can you be so stupid!~ The columns were way to old, they couldn't have built them. They had to be someone who had come to the island later, possibly not too long ago from the sound of their conversation. "But we're in the middle of no where", one of them had said. That meant that they weren't native to this island, and that they were definitely not the ones who had built the columns.
He had to find somewhere to hide, but make as little sound as possible while doing so. He knew about a technique that native American hunters used while in the forest. By putting the weight on the balls of his feet first, it would mute most of the sound to the point where even animals with heightened hearing such as deers wouldn't hear the footsteps. He therefore made his way tiptoe behind some nearby shrubbery to listen to what the voices were saying.
~More information...~
edited 23rd Jun '11 7:44:57 PM by AustralAnima
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca Loquitur"Oh thats adorable. He thinks we know about him through sound. Dearie it doesn't matter how you walk, we know you are there. We aren't going to hurt you."
"Probably"
"His names Elian. It seems theres a whole ship of others. Great, I don't want to meet others."
"Oh pipe down, you'll scare him away. Then it would be back to just the three of us."
His eyes showed little sign of surprise; he had thought of this. This was the cube, there was little that was impossible in the old world that is possible in this, and it wouldn't be surprising that someone, especially godlings, would have psychic abilities. Yes, they were godlings, this was confirmed by them when they said 'others'. There was three of them, all female it would seem.
~They're saying that they won't hurt me, but those who say they won't bite usually do. Can never be too careful.~ He thought, quite aware of the possibility that they were reading his mind.
He stayed kneeling, not wanting to make himself a target even though it was obvious they knew his location. They knew about the ship too, so it had to be some kind of mind reading, definitely.
~Who are you?~ He thought inquisitively, asking this to make sure whether his theory was correct and that they were indeed using some kind of mind reading.
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca LoquiturHe found this rather weird. They couldn't read minds after all? He gave it a few seconds of thought, pondering on what the girls had said so far.
Yes, one of them kept talking about his movement. Perhaps she had some kind of psychic ability which let her tell where things around her is, like some sort of sonar? The one with the deeper voice had to be able to search his mind. Not read what he's thinking, but possibly read his memories? What about the third? Did she have some sort of ability? There was nothing to hint that she did, except her second sentence where she said she knew he was coming. Could she possibly have a clairvoyant ability, the ability to see into the future in some way or another?
Anyhow, he wouldn't get anywhere by thinking about it further and decided that the best thing to do would be to contact them himself. "Who are you?" He said, his voice was apprehensive but sharp and confident.
Vir Sapit Qui Pauca Loquitur

Will had just been reaching for the door knob when a sudden knock rang out, giving him pause; whoever had done said knocking had done so rather loudly, making it seem as though whatever business they sought to bring before his attention was rather important. That whoever was calling upon him then elected to knock a second time only reinforced this notion, and without any further ado, the young man turned the knob and swung the door open with a touch more speed and urgency than was strictly necessary.
Upon seeing Elian standing on the other side, Will's concern did not increase but it certainly did not diminish either; it remained at a fixed level for the moment, waiting for some indication that his fears were either confirmed or unfounded.
"Yes? Is something wrong?"
The Danse Macabre Codex