An Unexpected Meeting [Rickter]

[Avamande]

W H A T • T H E

Searing 55, 122 Age of Steel

The vision was bizarre, unlike any Avamande had ever seen before. They saw far further they had any right to see, in a land that was quite foreign to them, without a conscious desire to even attempt such a scrying. It had begun as a pressure at the back of their skull, then a ringing in their ears that slowly resolved to a low and distant howl. Driven by the strange sense of direction that they had developed ever since a particularly odd dream, the mage swiftly opened a Window in the surface of their mirror, only for the sight to cause even them to gasp in shock.

Gel'Grandal was unmistakable, even to one who had never been - or at least, this part of it was. Avamande had gazed out over the Imperial Circle, with a clear view of both the Monolith and the Palace of Spires. There, they had seen their Prince and his loves all seem to rush towards one another before... vanishing entirely. Whatever power had caused this to transpire was beyond mundane magic, and for some time the Hytori wondered if what they saw was in any way real.

Days had passed trying to verify that they had indeed created such a Window, and that they could from it view Gel'Grandal from above. Even after that, they had hesitated, uncertain how best to proceed. Eventually, they resolved themselves to make for the Palace off the First Wind, and there make an accounting of all that they had seen.

It was in that spirit that they had swiftly made their way through the outer precincts of the palace, and were now marching through the gardens, hastily greeting all that they passed, including of course Lord Rickter. "Good day Lord Rickter," Avamande said absentmindedly, marching through the courtyard like a Hytori on a mis- "Lord Rickter?" they asked, coming to a halt so suddenly that they nearly fell forward.

"How did- but- you were in Gel'Grandal," they all but stammered out, the normally calm and collected Hytori thrown into shock at the Rathari's appearance in the gardens.

[Rickter]

An Unexpected Meeting

Searing 55, 122 Age of Steel

It had felt like a lifetime ago since he had ever dared walk the gardens of the palace, and while he'd been busy reaffirming himself in the city proper the past few days, Rickter truly felt that the most out of place here out of anywhere else in the city. It was bad enough he couldn't walk through Cloudhaven District for very long, particularly when he went or even left the House of Waves to meet with Elinora there. Things had grown so complicated within the past several days, one moment he was in the capitol of the Imperium, and now here he was trying to rebuild the pieces of his old life once more.

Word around the palace didn't take long to reach his ears, literally, since the wolf could pick up on whispers in passing. He had come to see Aoren mostly but from what he had heard, the man was far too busy to be bothered with menial matters, plus the wolf hadn't forgotten that it was because of him they'd both been whisked away here. He couldn't imagine how angry that must've kept Aoren, nor did he want to press his luck to find out so soon either. Add in the fact many within the palace alone questioned Rickter's presence there, even after the clearing of his name by the Prince-Consort, and he simply felt uncomfortable with the situation altogether.

So he lingered outside, for the time being, admiring the gardens as he reflected on times of the past. He had such fond memories of this place before, so much in fact he never would've imagined them haunting by comparison. Whatever remained of his old life here, it wasn't going to be same as he wanted to, hell not even he expected to feel the same the next time he returned. But that was because he'd spent so long holding onto something he didn't want to lose, rather than being the guardian he truly was, and he had learned very much what that fear can do to him when it counted. Still that didn't mean his heart felt heavy, and when he heard the call of his name in passing, he briefly acknowledged the voice for who it belonged to; before he slipped back into his own world of thoughts.

"Avamande." He'd muttered in return before he realized that was the name he called. He hadn't actually seen the Elf since his time spent in the Nod, when his dreams allowed him to at least explore the things related to the Echo. To finally acknowledge his presence here, in the Waking World, really flabbergasted the wolf enough to where he looked incredulously toward the man. Yep. That was Avamande in the flesh alright, likely just as confused with Rickter's presence just as much he'd been of the Elf's. The man looked to be in such a hurry that he nearly toppled over, before he fixed his attention on the wolf with a half-made inquiry in his confusion. Yes. How did Rickter end up here? It was enough to make him bite his lower lip, and perhaps even look away for a moment at the levity of the situation.

"We were." He confirmed. "We found Talon and Aoren before we even intended to. Things happened and well..." Now the guilt was prevalent in his features before he averted his gaze, the shadow of it heavy on his brow before he returned a steady gaze back to Avamande. "I'd made a mistake. One that won't happen again, especially when we next meet Talon." He was determined to see his promises through, to the bitter end, with the aid of his pack no less if he had to. He'd learned a very hard lesson after keeping them at bay just for safety, one that accosted far too much time on behalf of his own charge. But he would not fail Talon. Not this time.

"I still have you to thank for the help in the Land of Nod. I dunno how else that trial would've gone otherwise." He minded in the event he didn't get to properly thank the man, a minor smile casted in friendliness toward the Hytori next to him.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Avamande]

"I did as I was bid when I was summoned, there is no need to thank me," Avamande replied, quite serious about it. Their adventures in dreams had been fascinating, but they saw no reason act as if one owed the other a debt. Far more importantly however, the mage had countless burning questions that could not be delayed for any further pleasantries.

"To be honest, Lord Rickter, I had come to the palace to inform the throne that I had located yourself and the Prince, only for you to have vanished in the flash of an eye while I was scrying on your location in Gel'Grandal. Is that the 'mistake' you speak of?" Even their blunted affect could not hide their curiosity here, the mage barely able to remain composed. What they had seen in the Imperial Circle was already impossible in its own right, but for it to be followed up by one of the men who was there suddenly appearing halfway across the continent made it more interesting by far.

As a rule, Avamande was prone neither to excitement nor jumping to conclusions, but this was testing both of those. "Please," they began, mind seizing upon an idea that might benefit them both, "if you truly think that I must be thanked for my service, I would appreciate it greatly if you could explain to me what happened upon that day. I was scrying, as I said, I felt... an inkling, and I looked far further afield than I ought to be able to. And there, I found you, but just as swiftly you were gone."

For a moment, they considered sharing their suspicion, but only a moment. It was a foolish thought regardless. Surely Avamande could not be so vain as to think that they had witnessed Archmagic.

[Rickter]

An Unexpected Meeting

Searing 55, 122 Age of Steel

The dismissal Avamande gave at Rickter's appreciation brought a light chuff out of the wolf, as the Hytori probably hadn't realized the depth of gratitude the wolf actually felt to the man. Truth be told, he felt quite a few things about Avamande, things he wasn't sure how to bring up or even approach. Were they regularly communal on a day-to-day basis, this likely would not have created such a minor obstacle for him, but as of late Rickter had much bigger things to consider instead.

It became obvious though that his Elven friend had questions, as Avamande did not wait to bring up the event that transpired the other day. The wolf listened attentively, trying his best not to look so sullen as he did. The Hytori had scried the location of the wolf the other day, an admittance that marked the furrow of a brow briefly, as Rickter hadn't anticipated Avamande possessing such powers. He knew the Siltori was a mage of impressive caliber thus far, from the dreams they shared with one another, but overall he hadn't expected Avamande to have such reach with the distances between here and Gel'Grandal.

He nodded plainly in regards to the inquiry of the mistake, as Rickter could easily acknowledge where his own faults were. But to witness the event of Archmagic even from afar, that alone impressed the wolf in such a way, Rickter himself couldn't help but gaze upon the Elf with profound admiration. When pressed to better explain the significance of events in detail, the wolf quietly sighed before he averted his gaze only for a moment. He had mulled it over probably a thousand times, in a thousand ways no less, trying to find the solution that would've changed the outcome of events.

Yet no matter how deeply he thought or wished, nothing could steer him from the course he'd been set on now. Therefore, the only good and logical thing to do, was to actually branch out and find support where Rickter could garner it. So if Avamande was someone he would considerably count on, then by all means, it made sense to start from the beginning when he decided to share what he knew. "We'd reached the Imperium in the middle of Sun's Zenith, after the events that took place within Zaichaer earlier that month." He still sometimes had nightmares about that whole ordeal, of the abominations threatening to overwhelm the Gobbler, of the burning act to soar into the very heavens that fateful day. More often than not the wolf questioned his choices now, as back then everything he did just felt right in the moment... at the time.

"I'd met up with half of my pack in Gel'Grandal, and they had brought a contingency with them to prepare. We were going to seek out Talon and Aoren, and then find some way to Traverse them out of the Imperium together." But of course, complications arose and the wolf took matter into his own hands. "We were still looking for another separated from us after Zaichaer, but on the day that you saw us all, things literally spiraled out of control. Beyond the plan we had intended." Talon and Aoren showed. Hannah showed just as well. Of course the others that were present also played their roles, but Rickter had already guessed Avamande might've saw a bit of that at play.

"A fellow friend managed to free Aoren but I..." He paused as he took serious contemplation in choosing the right word. "I overreached that day. My heart still set on war, I wanted to just take my companions and run. Instead I deliberately caused an event that turned out far worse, and as a result, Talon took it upon himself to act in the best interest of everyone around him."

Finally, Rickter looked to Avamande once more, noticeably grim as he might've punished himself mentally for the actions he took. "What you saw was indeed Archmagic. I've never seen it in action but... I definitely felt it's power before." Come to think of it the pillar of light that exploded from within Zaichaer felt the same, a fact he never quite connected until just now, before the two rifts combined to create the Great Rift hanging over the city to this day. "Talon used it to relocate us all here, safely away from the Imperium's grasp. He did it to protect us... when in truth, I should've been the one protecting him."

The wolf subconsciously balled his hands into fists then, a noticeable clench of his jaw as that pretty much summarized what transpired.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Avamande]

It took all of Avamande's considerable restraint to not immediately interrupt Rickter as soon as he began to speak. The fact that he had been in Zaichaer as well was a shock in its own right, one that opened up an entirely different line of questioning. But that could, and would, wait until the more immediate issue of Talon had been explained. As much as the swirling gyre of raw chaos above the greatest city in all Karnor could wait. His pack was another point of confusion, but at least that was something they had some background knowledge of, as well as the politeness to not peer into. That was his family after all.

"Yes, it did seem like things did... not go according to plan." To put it lightly. Extremely lightly. So many questions swirled through their mind at every sentence Rickter spoke, but again, Avamande forced themselves to be quiet and just listen in increasing awe and shock. It was perhaps the most emotion that the Wolf had ever seen from the Hytori.

There it was. The word. The impossible. The transcendental.

"Archmagic?" Talon, no Arcas, had claimed his divine inheritance at last it seemed. The ultimate expression of what it was to be a God. And Avamande had witnessed it. "If anyone but you would had told me this story, I would not believe it," they said, voice filled with wonder.

But. Their mind clicked as the questions they had kept to themselves reemerged.

"Aoren was freed? I... did they not collar him? How could... A Kathar is not so easily broken from his bonds. That is... that is a great power in its own right. I am afraid your story has left me more confused than I was before," they said, and then their mouth said words that they did not realize they were saying, "my friend."

[Rickter]

An Unexpected Meeting

Searing 55, 122 Age of Steel

The wolf's brief reflections on the portrayal of events had only generated more confusion, though, there were words that left the Hytori's lips that Rickter had not anticipated. Friend? Yes, he could agree that they shared some sense of friendship, although the wolf did not know how strongly present such a bond remained. Truth be told he had been so caught up in events in general, that he hadn't fully taken the time to slow down and assess the condition of his friends.

How long he had remained so hyper-fixated... Just like a damn dog chasing after the rabbit, or so another one of his so-called friends had reminded him. "Forgive me, Tomodachi." He murmured toward Avamande as he elevated his eyes from the gardens that surrounded them. It was an official recognition of the word that his companion used, therefore, Rickter's acknowledgment that he and the Hytori did in fact share such a rather peculiar bond.

"I shall relay the events properly, to the best of my knowledge." He determined it best to start from the arrival of the Imperium, considering he hadn't quite yet connected the situation in Zaichaer to the ones responsible. "Upon my arrival in Gel'Grandal I was with a Vampyre, who came along with me from Zaichaer as we sought to find and release Talon. I'd found two of my pack members that same night but a third was missing, so we plotted a rescue attempt to save Talon and Aoren both while we searched for her." It was a well-laid-out plan in his opinion, although, nobody could've been more unprepared for the moment they all found the stolen prince.

"When we found Talon and Aoren that day, as you briefly saw, we were in the midst of our searching when the both of them came along. The Wintergarten Circle seemed to be a pretty big and popular venue honestly, so it was just a good of a place as any to start our search for my missing packmate. Once we noticed that Talon and Aoren were there, they were both escorted by Kathar soldiers until somebody set them free." He replayed the event in his mind over and over by now, assessing the situation before realizing that Florian had in fact played a key role with the severance of Aoren's collar.

"There were other undetermined variables to this plan we didn't consider. Such as the fact refugees from Zaichaer had also made it there, one of them a Kalzasian woman that I'd met time and time again." Suddenly at the thought of her the memory that sparked flashed into his mind, and Rickter looked to be briefly afflicted with a temporary minor headache. She had a name. He knew this because she had been there for the Calling that took place, where her music struck deeply within his soul when she underwent the Trial of Power. "Euripedes. She distracted Talon and Aoren while another, Florian, happened along and was able to release the other Kathar from their collars."

Florian was the Lysanrin who had also undertaken the Trial of Bravery, another piece of the puzzle that Rickter and Avamande had briefly met within the Calling. Somehow it started to feel like there were other connections that he didn't acknowledge before, pieces of a puzzle that gradually created a larger picture of something in play. "When he used that power to set Aoren free as well, that's when I stepped in, I had hoped to amplify that power to break free any other bonds that might've kept Talon and Aoren chained to the Empire... But I only made things worse."

He had used his Negation for war, to harm and hinder rather than help as intended. That had been his first mistake when he'd gone after the ones he loved, when in reality, he should've been doing everything he could to protect them in the end. "That's when you saw the Archmagic take place. Talon stopped much of the devastation I created, and then sent us all back here of his own volition... before I could do anything to help set him free." He looked rather judgementally down at his own hands, feeling bitter over his actions more than anything, if not determined to undo the problems he'd created from his own actions.

"I realize now though, that I won't be able to. Not alone. Florian's power may have a key part in this, but I have yet to discern how it works completely. Even he might not be enough..." Rickter looked to the Hytori once more, still a little glum, but hopeful that another friend might find the courage to stand up and aid in this endeavor. "You're a capable mage, Avamande. I've seen what you can do within the Land of Nod, where you've thrust yourself into danger time and time again."

He breathed for a moment before he folded his arms over one another. "That kind of skill and bravery is rare and genuine. And we're going to need that for the battles to come." He then lowered his arms only to extend a hand out to the Hytori, his expression still somewhat firm but hopeful toward his friend. "Will you help us when the time comes to fight for the light?"

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Avamande]

Avamande was just as surprised as Rickter at their usage of the word, but the Hytori nodded solemnly at the reciprocation. Then again, what else would they be? It would be a cruel sort of world indeed if the pair could not consider each other friends after all that they had done for the other, and they did not wish to think that the Wolf would be so... mercenary in his dealings. Knowing all too well the value of hearing a story to its ending, they endeavored to save their questions for the end of the tale. Their conviction on this matter was immediately tested, when they had to restrain themselves from asking about the Vampyre of all things that Rickter had claimed to travel with from the blasted ruins that were once Zaichaer.

"You acted on impulse, to save those you love. There is no shame in that, Lord Rickter. Prudence may yet serve better, and you may indeed have acted rashly, but your deeds are those of one desperate to protect their charges. This is not so horrid a state, surely this you know." Avamande spoke coolly, rationally, in the same dry, emotionless voice that they typically had. But there was... something to it, a bite, an edge, the slightest hint of a smile. "However," they added, and now a smile did in fact appear, though be it just the ghost of one, "it seems that you require assistance in temperance at this time."

They did not bother critiquing or criticizing Rickter's actions - they were certain that he had done so in his mind a thousand times over, if not more. He had been so agonizingly, impossibly close to his goal, only to be shoved aside by the very man he sought to save. There were other matters, questions of this Florian from the Trial, of Euripedes, of the Vampyre, but all those paled in comparison to what he had asked of them. All of it was nothing in the face of the world's sorrows.

"It would be my honor to fight alongside you for the basest of causes. For something so grand as the light itself, I am shocked you felt the need to ask. Have I ever refused your call, Lord Rickter? But ask for me, and I shall do my utmost to hie to your side, my lord, my friend."

!

Message from: Aegis

Following this viewtopic.php?p=17529#p17529 Avamande would be able to feel something within them leave while in the presence of Rickter. As they did, they felt that deep change within their following the Call awaken. They are now aware that they carried a Piece of Hope within them and that it has now been imparted unto Rickter. In its wake, that Piece of Hope left behind something unique to Avamande, unique to their response to the Call. Avamande is now fully aware of this change. They are also no longer able to feel the direction of Talon or Rickter. With a total of 3 Pieces of Hope, the Light Bond between Rickter and Talon that was established following Imogen's Piece of Hope was given has now upgraded to a Common Bond. Avamande has acquired Canine Sight Empathy. Avamande has the ability to experience the world through a singular sense of any dog, wolf, or other canine within a mile of themselves by meditating on and focusing on canine things. This can only be done with one canine at a time, one sense at a time. Upgrades: If Avamande ever achieves Mastery in Meditation or develops a formal Bond with Rickter, contact me or have a Mod look into Avamande's Character Secrets.

[Rickter]

An Unexpected Meeting

Searing 55, 122 Age of Steel

The wolf admittedly looked a little surprised when Avamande remarked on the situation, and provided some comforting insight as to what the Hytori recognized from what little he heard and saw. Did Rickter feel ashamed for how things panned out? Perhaps. But there was a little bit of solace knowing that his actions were born from good intent, that alone was enough to remind the wolf of his own faults at least.

He rather appreciated the fact he had a friend, well, several at this point, who all seemed to understandably condone his actions; even if they led to the extreme consequences born from them. And the implication for assistance in temperance led the wolf to lightly titter, as he could see reason for needing the aid the more he thought on it. "I appreciate that." He finally came to remark after hearing the Hytori's answer, a little more humbled by the sincerity the Elf possessed once words had been exchanged. But then Rickter felt something else happen as well.

The Bond between him and his Bondmates, Aoren specifically, suddenly felt stronger than what it used to. The connection between them gradually strengthened, and the wolf could feel more emotion pouring into him than before. It surprised Rickter more than anything, but it took no longer than a few seconds for him to gratefully reach for his own chest. These people... He had noticed that since his first meeting with Florian, that the connections he felt ripped away were slowly healing in their own time. Yet when he'd met certain people in the waking world, those specifically from that terrible night, they somehow helped restore what once felt lost for good. How?

It was clear to Rickter that Avamande felt something different too just now, just like Imogen had when she and Rickter met in Zaichaer as well. "Did you... feel something just now?" He pondered inquisitively with a look to the Hytori, curious to know what Avamande's take on the event might be.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Chronicle]

Both Participants
(Template Gallery)

Points: 10 XP
Loot: Canine Sight Empathy for Avamande! Neat bonus that is.
Injuries: N/A

Comments: Shame this couldn't carry out to it's conclusion, nonetheless, it was fun to explore the dynamics existing between Rickter and Avamande.