Two Paths: The Sword and The Shield 
Ash 22nd, 120th Year, A.o.S.
They had nearly reached the summit now and, quite frankly, Rickter was already more tired out than he remembered being. Before when he'd come to this place, it had only been once or twice with the Reaver he still deemed as "One Day." Now the wolf's return was shared with another, who would be seeing this unusual place for the first time since her arrival. "Whew," Telion sighed as they both trekked carefully up the slopes, almost to the top of the crags they traversed to reach the location in question, "not a bad view but this is quite a climb." She admitted as a hand lowered itself to offer her a lift, with Rickter atop one of the final ledges necessary to reach the peak. "Thank you!" She quipped in turn as he helped pull her up, their destination only one last haul away from being reached.
The sun had already lowered itself within the sky now, signifying that noon had been a few hours ago at least. Echoes of crashing waterfalls roared all around them now, as the slopey crags of the mountains only slightly challenged their prowess. Finally, they had made it to the top, together, where at last Rickter and Telion could see the summit he'd hoped to reach. The Circle of Wandering. Immediately the bard at his side gasped in awe, amazed by the grand circle of stone they had arrived at now, mindful of the several statues that decorated the outer rims of its diameter. "Wow!" The bard cheered with enthusiasm as she approached the outer edges of the circle, her eyes alight with curiosity as they fell upon the runic markings etched within it. "So this is the place you were telling me about!"
"They call it the Circle of Wandering," the wolf answered her calmly as he approached behind her, "it was where my Reaving mentor initiated me, after teaching me a bit about The Old Ways." His tone was calm and mindful, and his demeanor certainly weary but also somewhat relaxed now.
"I can't help but wonder..." Telion looked to think considerably on that, the reference to 'Old Ways' something she seemed familiar with as well. "Down in Atinaw, there are some who also practice the Old Ways. It begs the question as to whether or not this mentor of yours came from there or not..."
"Hard to say..." Rickter admitted as he looked away grimly, aware of how minimal his knowledge was on both the man and his teachings. "I accepted the charge given to me as a Reaver, and chose the path of the sword when I did." Telion looked to him confused just then, her head tilted as she tried to understand what he meant. "Every side attacks you, when you don't pick sides..." He remarked in turn with a careful, yet humble, look given to the bard next to him. "Being a sword isn't enough for me, not when I want to be a shield for others."
"The path of the warrior is never easy," Telion humored as she started to walk slowly towards the center, "the power of invincible courage, and a sword of terrible destruction..." Telion displayed minor concern for her friend then, looking to Rickter as she turned to face him from within the center of the circle. "That's what I think when I hear the term Reaver, theirs is a power that not many can carry lightly. But what you want Rickter is the path of the guardian." The wolf looked to her curiously in his approach, his genuinely fixed on Telion as he reached the center. "A kindness to aid friends, and a shield to repel all."
To that the wolf nodded firmly, understanding the demands of the role entirely. Becoming a sword he chose to fight, to stand by a side when the moment came. But becoming a shield meant more than standing by a side, it meant nurturing and supporting it through its ordeals. He would serve not as the tool of destruction, but as the boundary between his allies and their enemies. "I'll admit neither of them are going to be easy..." Telion looked a little dismayed then, placing her staff down on the stone beneath their feet, and drawing closer to Rickter so that they stood just a foot apart. "Which is why I'll help Ricky. Being around simply isn't going to be enough I feel, not when I know I can help you out by doing more."
She looked to her shoulder left shoulder then, clearly mindful of something that lingered there. "I'll show you, teach you even, on how to use such a power to it's fullest potential. With Negation you can become that shield, maybe even more given how determined I've seen you grow. The choice is yours though..." To which Rickter innately shrugged, his eyes narrowed on the bard as he contemplated her offer. They'd talked about it for a few days now, after sharing a few spar sessions with one another. The idea certainly remained aloof in Rickter's mind, which was why he'd decided to bring Telion to this very place. The Circle of Wandering. It was peculiar not because of the fact Rickter came here before, but because of the fact initiations were far more successful here somehow. The mentor who taught him the way of the sword knew this, and to an extent, Rickter had slightly gathered that magic, in general, felt amplified here.
Even Telion likely felt it as of right now.
"What do we need to do?" He finally inquired as his gaze still remained on the bard, her determined look met with a soft smile after hearing him speak.
"I'll draw the rune, and when the initiation starts, you'll begin to feel something unusual." She explained half-heartedly, her tone slightly shakey as she did so, and she noticed the peculiar look Rickter beheld at her explanation. "It's not always the same for everyone. Most describe it as a numbing sensation, but others can sometimes fall into a trance."
"How did it happen for you?" Rickter inquired curiously since he'd gather his experience would be relative to hers.
"I withdrew into a trance, meditating during the entire process. A lot of what I saw was personal really... but it helped me realize the kind of person I wanted to be." She answered in turn with a soft smile worn to the sky. "Protecting others is just as important to me as bringing them smiles. So like you, my shields keep those around me safe from danger." She then looked at him more thoughtfully now, with her hands tucked behind her as she smiled at Rickter. The wolf groaned softly as the answer, surprisingly, pleased him more than he expected it to. If all he had to worry about was meditative trance, then perhaps receiving the cardinal rune of Negation was best for him yet.
"Alright." He remarked as he began to remove the travel bag from his shoulders, dropping it to the ground as he then tucked away his shirt. Within moments Rickter felt the cool moist wind caress his skin, nearly cooling him off rapidly as he removed the article and dropped it to the ground. "Where did you want to place it?" Telion looked to Rickter thoughtfully, albeit a little rosier in the cheeks now, as she looked him over a number of times. The bard closed in on the gap between them, her hands hovering over his abdomen first, before they gravitated towards his pecks in turn. Telion didn't really bother touching it right away, as she more or less scoped out a region of his upper body in that period.
Finally, she looked to have settled on a place, looking up to Rickter once more when she felt ready to start. "Okay, have a seat then." What she really meant to him was 'get comfortable' more or less, which led Rickter to lower himself down, to where he sat atop the rocky ground of the circle. Telion knelt down to sit on her knees next to him, with her hands brought up to his upper left bicep. "While it doesn't define you as a warrior, you mainly use weaponry with your right hands no?" An observation she'd undoubtedly made, as Rickter was certainly a right-hand dominant. "Therefore in my mind, the sword rests firmly within your right hand. The shield, however, will rest here within your left hand... at all times." She assured him as her fingers finally lowered themselves onto his skin.
Rickter looked from the woman in front of him, down to the areas of his arm that were visible. He knew he would have to keep still as she worked, still, the wolf wanted to see every detail of the process Telion would go through. He hadn't forgotten his first initiation with the Reaver, and nor did he want to forget the moment he received his rune from Telion either. As the bard pressed a fingertip to the surface of his skin, she closed her eyes and breathed in deep, focusing on preparation before she finally opened her eyes; and began tracing a finger slowly across his bicep. Aether glowed a brighter shade of blue than Rickter had seen, as it lightly radiated from the fingertip she'd pressed onto his skin, weaving into his flesh as the mark she drew on him started to form.
She was delicate and careful with how she etched it, her eyes sharp as her focus never deterred from her task at hand. When the glimmering light faded from her fingertip, Telion's features visibly relaxed as she looked up to him in turn. Upon his shoulder was now the rune she'd granted him, and within moments Rickter began to feel his mind withdraw into a completely separate state. As his eyelids grew heavy Rickter started to lean about lazily, his upper body teetering forward and backward before Telion finally caught him, and lowered his head to the ground delicately as she watched his consciousness slip away. There were words also but they were... distant now, echoes that quickly became inaudible as he dove further within.
The sun had already lowered itself within the sky now, signifying that noon had been a few hours ago at least. Echoes of crashing waterfalls roared all around them now, as the slopey crags of the mountains only slightly challenged their prowess. Finally, they had made it to the top, together, where at last Rickter and Telion could see the summit he'd hoped to reach. The Circle of Wandering. Immediately the bard at his side gasped in awe, amazed by the grand circle of stone they had arrived at now, mindful of the several statues that decorated the outer rims of its diameter. "Wow!" The bard cheered with enthusiasm as she approached the outer edges of the circle, her eyes alight with curiosity as they fell upon the runic markings etched within it. "So this is the place you were telling me about!"
"They call it the Circle of Wandering," the wolf answered her calmly as he approached behind her, "it was where my Reaving mentor initiated me, after teaching me a bit about The Old Ways." His tone was calm and mindful, and his demeanor certainly weary but also somewhat relaxed now.
"I can't help but wonder..." Telion looked to think considerably on that, the reference to 'Old Ways' something she seemed familiar with as well. "Down in Atinaw, there are some who also practice the Old Ways. It begs the question as to whether or not this mentor of yours came from there or not..."
"Hard to say..." Rickter admitted as he looked away grimly, aware of how minimal his knowledge was on both the man and his teachings. "I accepted the charge given to me as a Reaver, and chose the path of the sword when I did." Telion looked to him confused just then, her head tilted as she tried to understand what he meant. "Every side attacks you, when you don't pick sides..." He remarked in turn with a careful, yet humble, look given to the bard next to him. "Being a sword isn't enough for me, not when I want to be a shield for others."
"The path of the warrior is never easy," Telion humored as she started to walk slowly towards the center, "the power of invincible courage, and a sword of terrible destruction..." Telion displayed minor concern for her friend then, looking to Rickter as she turned to face him from within the center of the circle. "That's what I think when I hear the term Reaver, theirs is a power that not many can carry lightly. But what you want Rickter is the path of the guardian." The wolf looked to her curiously in his approach, his genuinely fixed on Telion as he reached the center. "A kindness to aid friends, and a shield to repel all."
To that the wolf nodded firmly, understanding the demands of the role entirely. Becoming a sword he chose to fight, to stand by a side when the moment came. But becoming a shield meant more than standing by a side, it meant nurturing and supporting it through its ordeals. He would serve not as the tool of destruction, but as the boundary between his allies and their enemies. "I'll admit neither of them are going to be easy..." Telion looked a little dismayed then, placing her staff down on the stone beneath their feet, and drawing closer to Rickter so that they stood just a foot apart. "Which is why I'll help Ricky. Being around simply isn't going to be enough I feel, not when I know I can help you out by doing more."
She looked to her shoulder left shoulder then, clearly mindful of something that lingered there. "I'll show you, teach you even, on how to use such a power to it's fullest potential. With Negation you can become that shield, maybe even more given how determined I've seen you grow. The choice is yours though..." To which Rickter innately shrugged, his eyes narrowed on the bard as he contemplated her offer. They'd talked about it for a few days now, after sharing a few spar sessions with one another. The idea certainly remained aloof in Rickter's mind, which was why he'd decided to bring Telion to this very place. The Circle of Wandering. It was peculiar not because of the fact Rickter came here before, but because of the fact initiations were far more successful here somehow. The mentor who taught him the way of the sword knew this, and to an extent, Rickter had slightly gathered that magic, in general, felt amplified here.
Even Telion likely felt it as of right now.
"What do we need to do?" He finally inquired as his gaze still remained on the bard, her determined look met with a soft smile after hearing him speak.
"I'll draw the rune, and when the initiation starts, you'll begin to feel something unusual." She explained half-heartedly, her tone slightly shakey as she did so, and she noticed the peculiar look Rickter beheld at her explanation. "It's not always the same for everyone. Most describe it as a numbing sensation, but others can sometimes fall into a trance."
"How did it happen for you?" Rickter inquired curiously since he'd gather his experience would be relative to hers.
"I withdrew into a trance, meditating during the entire process. A lot of what I saw was personal really... but it helped me realize the kind of person I wanted to be." She answered in turn with a soft smile worn to the sky. "Protecting others is just as important to me as bringing them smiles. So like you, my shields keep those around me safe from danger." She then looked at him more thoughtfully now, with her hands tucked behind her as she smiled at Rickter. The wolf groaned softly as the answer, surprisingly, pleased him more than he expected it to. If all he had to worry about was meditative trance, then perhaps receiving the cardinal rune of Negation was best for him yet.
"Alright." He remarked as he began to remove the travel bag from his shoulders, dropping it to the ground as he then tucked away his shirt. Within moments Rickter felt the cool moist wind caress his skin, nearly cooling him off rapidly as he removed the article and dropped it to the ground. "Where did you want to place it?" Telion looked to Rickter thoughtfully, albeit a little rosier in the cheeks now, as she looked him over a number of times. The bard closed in on the gap between them, her hands hovering over his abdomen first, before they gravitated towards his pecks in turn. Telion didn't really bother touching it right away, as she more or less scoped out a region of his upper body in that period.
Finally, she looked to have settled on a place, looking up to Rickter once more when she felt ready to start. "Okay, have a seat then." What she really meant to him was 'get comfortable' more or less, which led Rickter to lower himself down, to where he sat atop the rocky ground of the circle. Telion knelt down to sit on her knees next to him, with her hands brought up to his upper left bicep. "While it doesn't define you as a warrior, you mainly use weaponry with your right hands no?" An observation she'd undoubtedly made, as Rickter was certainly a right-hand dominant. "Therefore in my mind, the sword rests firmly within your right hand. The shield, however, will rest here within your left hand... at all times." She assured him as her fingers finally lowered themselves onto his skin.
Rickter looked from the woman in front of him, down to the areas of his arm that were visible. He knew he would have to keep still as she worked, still, the wolf wanted to see every detail of the process Telion would go through. He hadn't forgotten his first initiation with the Reaver, and nor did he want to forget the moment he received his rune from Telion either. As the bard pressed a fingertip to the surface of his skin, she closed her eyes and breathed in deep, focusing on preparation before she finally opened her eyes; and began tracing a finger slowly across his bicep. Aether glowed a brighter shade of blue than Rickter had seen, as it lightly radiated from the fingertip she'd pressed onto his skin, weaving into his flesh as the mark she drew on him started to form.
She was delicate and careful with how she etched it, her eyes sharp as her focus never deterred from her task at hand. When the glimmering light faded from her fingertip, Telion's features visibly relaxed as she looked up to him in turn. Upon his shoulder was now the rune she'd granted him, and within moments Rickter began to feel his mind withdraw into a completely separate state. As his eyelids grew heavy Rickter started to lean about lazily, his upper body teetering forward and backward before Telion finally caught him, and lowered his head to the ground delicately as she watched his consciousness slip away. There were words also but they were... distant now, echoes that quickly became inaudible as he dove further within.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
