Page 1 of 1
A Feeling So Foreign
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:39 am
by Rickter
A Feeling So Foreign Frost 28th, 120th Year, AoS
While the wolf was excited about his plans he was also a bit nervous, with an underlying sense of worry lingering in the pit of his gut, and a lingering feeling in his mind that he paid little mind to for now. "So, it's my understanding you've never done this before?" Telion checked as she walked with a few fingers tugging at the fur padding around her neck, her iron staff carefully held in the other hand as she walked next to him with a look of intrigue. The wolf himself had decided to wear the chainmail gear he had, knowing full well that he'd be working up a sweat this time around. All their previous training sessions together, would amount up to what Rickter hoped to achieve by the end of today. He knew of the process itself, but never considered exploring the avenue before.
Whereas now extra weaponry could better help serve him in the long run, for the more versatile he was as a Reaver, the better off he'd be once the second half of the Argent Hand trials commenced. "Forging new pacts, no. But I remember the lessons I'd been taught, and if they're an indication of what to expect..." He remembered very well what it was like at first, therefore, expecting another trial of suffering through it felt all the more part of the idea. The benefit of Pact weaponry typically was typically worth the pain and suffering, but the wolf had to ascertain just how much pain he'd have to endure beforehand. "Needless to say, this won't be easy. For me... or you." At that note Telion looked to him worriedly then, picking up on the grim tone in his voice when Rickter brought up his left arm. He'd worn the shield to the Proving Grounds from his house when they'd left, and now, when he'd leave them he'd be doing so with it a part of him instead.
"For me?" She asked half-heartedly with an averted look of concern. Rickter looked to her and noticed this behavior, taking a step closer as to look down into her eyes when he did.
"Any time a Reaver is forging a Pact with a weapon, there is always the guarantee of pain." Telion's eyes widened after learning this, looking more into Rickter's eyes so show him the full front of her concern.
"Pain? Even after the initiation?" To that he nodded and it resulted in her biting her lower lip. "What do I have to do?" She sounded reluctant to even ask, and yet, still she offered to see it through nonetheless. Rickter admired that about her, even in doubt, she could still find the courage to carry on.
"Just come at me with everything you have. Don't stop until I've said otherwise." The levity in his tone did not lift when he expressed this, not until his eyebrows rose a little to inquire in turn. "Understand?" The bard nodded once more, taking a step back as she watched him, her staff tracing a line as it dragged through some of the snow. Rickter spared her one more look, a trusting look, before focusing on the shield attached to his left arm. A simple construct of iron and wood, and yet, soon to be a magical artifact to ward off the strongest of blows. The wolf brought his gloved hand up to the surface of the shield, pressing it against the wood near his arm as he focused on it then.
Concentrating on funneling his aether Rickter then channeled it through the Reaving rune on his nape, lacing the surface of it with aether as the area of contact began to glow a teal color. The rune on his nape felt as though it did something akin to a hum for a moment, before the rest of his aether started to spread and seep into shield itself. Breathing slowly and steadily he continued to channel his aether into it, until finally the shield itself started to hum with the same resonance as his rune. It was done then... Now came the hard part. Telion had watched with a sense of awe about her, undoubtedly curious of the nature in which Pact weapons were made. While he could've elaborated on the matter to her, the wolf felt there was little time for such a notion, for now that his aether embodied the shield he needed to finish cementing the Pact.
"Alright," he started with his shield arm held before him, taking up a defensive stance as he watched Telion with a serious stare, "don't hold back no matter what." Though reluctant to agree with him Telion nodded, spreading her feet out and apart as she readied her stance. With the staff in two hands and Rickter solely focused on her, the wolf inhaled deeply when he watched her make the first move.
"Every side attacks you when you don't take sides."
Re: A Feeling So Foreign
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:35 am
by Rickter
A Feeling So Foreign Frost 28th, 120th Year, AoS
And yet...
Bang. Telion's first strike had been that of a thrust with her staff, the blunt end jabbed hard into the center of his shield, before bouncing off with a recoil as Rickter's arm resisted the impact. Yet the force behind that blow... It didn't even take but a second afterward, before his entire left arm felt struck by lightning. With his eyes widening in turn the wolf quickly twisted around, growling lowly as he paced about almost frantically, his breathing still deep but slightly elevated when he turned to face her once more. "Again!" He called out to her as he projected the shield, while the bard showed hesitance in doing so. "Again!" He called out to her with his expression serious, the look in his eyes determined as he watched from behind the shield.
The blonde looked to him in a contrite sort of manner, before breathing deeply through her nose, and stepping in for another hard blow from her left. Again, the shield received the force of the impact from her shield, and not even a moment later, Rickter felt the burning sensation in his arm nearly wrack his entire upper torso. This wasn't good enough. Even if he might've faltered a step away as a result, it still wasn't enough to cement the Pact between him and this weapon. "Full force! Come on!" She looked to be on the verge of tears then, realizing just how far they would have to go, how far she'd have to go, in order to complete this arduous task at hand. While her expression soured just a little more, she knew now what Rickter meant, and this was the point of no return for someone like him.
And so... With the grip of her hands readjusted to a tighter grip, she charged at him with a brief shout of frustration in turn. Telion launched her first strike from her right, slamming her weapon hard into Rickter's shield yet again, this time continuing the flow of her attacks by alternating the ends of her staff. Two. Three. Four. By then Rickter's entire body felt set aflame by the pain, his legs buckling a bit as he staggered away a couple feet. Telion started but stopped her rush, watching him as Rickter kept on his feet, but did so with even heavier and shorter breaths. Yes this was it. This was the sort of pain he had to endure, the sort of suffering he had to take in to complete the Pact. "Don't stop now," he remarked to her lowly almost with a tone of aggression, "don't stop until I say! Remember that!"
"I can't!" She yelled at him in return, her arms thrown down as she still held onto the pole. "It's too much Rickter!"
The wolf's eyebrows rose then, she was actually crying just now. Not only did she not want to do this, she appeared to literally loathe it entirely. Before when they were training, she was always so sure of herself, so collected as to learn and grow from their sessions together. This time though? Rickter learned just how little she really did like to fight, or in that regard, inflict pain onto a person when she was pressed to. "... I know..." He assured her with a few soft nods, giving her a look of understanding even through his ragged breathing. "I know it's a lot... which is why after this, I'll never ask anything of you again." To that her eyes widened at him, the distress enough to stir an apologetic expression out of the wolf. "I'll help you. With this shield here, I'll even protect you. But first..."
He then tilted his head downward, allowing her to catch on with the very statement he'd told her before. "Anything, huh?" She checked one final time, in which the wolf gave her a slow and sorry nod in return. She looked crushed then, uncertain of her considerations initially, before stilling her hands and looking at him bitterly. Finally with the middle of the staff held both of her hands began to spin it, rotating it a few times before swinging it aside in her next charge at him. The wolf raised his shield in the nick of time, intercepting the attack with a brief parry, and feeling his innards reel from the jolt of pain that wracked them then. Still, Telion continued with another strike from her right, battering the top rim of his shield before recoiling her weapon, and pulling away to swing it through the air with an end pointed at him.
Wind and snow came barreling at Rickter then, his upper back and shoulders immediately plagued with more burning sensations. Once that wind blasted the surface of his shield, the wolf actually wound up sliding a few feet across the ground. Snow piled up beneath his heels as he did, and when he stopped Rickter finally buckled, a knee of his giving out as he nearly dropped from the rush of hurt assailing his form. Telion charged at him then with another blow ready, the staff raised to point downward at him diagonally, so that she'd batter his shield a couple more times as he held it over his head. Bang! Bang! Tremors wracked his other limbs as the searing pain coursed throughout his entire form, his rune reacting to the pain with frequent flickers of teal with each hit. Bang! He felt ready to falter then, and yet, at that moment he also felt driven.
Bang! That time he actually wanted to hit the ground, but the burdening resolve to overcome it merely grew in turn. He thought of Telion at that moment, and the hurt he'd likely brought on her too, in asking her to attack him ceaselessly until told otherwise. All the blows he suffered from her varied on levels of ungodly amount of hurt, and yet, thinking of her in tears is what actually wound up hurting even more. Thus as she raised her staff once final time, the wolf gripped the handle of his shield harder than ever, taking in one deep breath as he not of the pain. Not the torment that both had to go through for this, but of the promise and hopeful smile he'd get to see later. Undoubtedly, she would be upset with him in the beginning, of that he felt rather sure of in his heart. But... just the idea of seeing that smile again, that alone made all this seem all the more worth it, as the final blow given by Telion came down to smash against his shield once more.
For a moment Rickter held his breath with his eyes closed, and braced for the hit as he felt the force of impact on his shield. Ting! The wolf's eyes flung open as he pressed back, resisting the blow as much as he could, as steadfast as his body would allow him to. With a brief tingling sensation felt at the surface of his nape, and a flicker of light from the rune, the wolf felt his aether within the shield merge completely in turn. Telion's staff lingered at the shield's surface still, her breathing heavy as she looked about ready to quit herself. It was as she raised her staff once more that Rickter shifted, showing his other hand to gesture for her to hold on that account. She looked to him them, staff half raised, still with a bitterness in her eyes; before a shared sense of relief filled them a moment after.
Rickter dematerialized the shield on his arm then, showing her that the hard part had finally come to pass, and that she would no longer have to try and hurt him. The bard sighed finally, in between her pants, before throwing the staff down in scorn and stepping away. "Telion, wa-" He reached out to try and stop her, but being on one knee already the attempt failed before it even began. Yet, what cut him off wasn't the desire to step away, but the sudden sharp sensation that pierced him within his core. More pain? No. This was different. He felt pain but it wasn't his, in fact, it felt as though Talon and Aoren were... Were they fighting something together? It had not been the first time this'd happened, but this time Talon seemed to experience a greater amount of pain.
Pain that felt akin to Rickter's but also not, and with it a weariness not unlike the aftermath of a Reaver's initiation. What was happening? His vision grew blurred and even darkened, and just as soon as he'd started to reach out for her, the wolf's own consciousness slipped away in turn. He thought he could hear Telion calling out to him, perhaps even Hannah too after a moment, yet for all their efforts only a receding echo filled the wolf's ears.
"Speech"
"Every side attacks you when you don't take sides."
Re: A Feeling So Foreign
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:22 pm
by Paragon
“Maze!” Rickter felt a shaking on his shoulder as darkness swirled around him. There was an aching throb in his head that was winding its way down his spine and into his bones. It felt as though he had been hit with a barrage of rocks followed by being trampled by a herd of oxen.
“Maze!” Awareness flowed back into him as Rickter cracked open his eyes. The world flooded in as light filtered down from between the leaves of the trees. The cool breeze of a gentle Searing morning ghosted over his skin. As the light settled and his vision focused, standing before him was what appeared to be at first, a human man. However, that lasted only a moment. He wore a form fitting vest of simple cloth with a sash wound around his waist and worn leather pants. His arms were bare save for a pair of bracers wrapped around his forearms. He had a body built for war with skin that was bronzed by the touch of the sun. His face was handsome with a strong jaw and black stubble that dusted over his skin. There was a slight slant to his eyes and a minor point to his ears hinting at elven heritage.
His hair was a dark black and hung in a braid over one shoulder. The light streaming through the leaves of the trees seemed to seek him out, crowning him briefly in a halo around his head. There was a regality to his bearing and though his attire was humble, his gaze kind, the radiant silver of his eyes declared to any who gazed upon him that he was anything but normal. The young man was kneeling beside Rickter with a hand grasping his shoulder. His face was furrowed in concern that filled with relief upon seeing Rickter gain consciousness.
“You scared me, Maze.” As the young man helped Rickter to his feet, a sense of familiarity washed over him. Catching sight of his forearm, a silver sword wreathed in a spiral of fire wrapped around his forearm. The young man brought Rickter into a hug before patting him on the back. “I did not mean to hit you that hard, my friend. This is as new for me as it is for you. But I am glad that you are here.”
Stepping back, the young man brought up his hands and suddenly they were surrounded by silver flames. He wove his hands before his body briefly prior to giving Rickter a smile. That smile faltered after a moment.
“This changes everything, doesn’t it?” Before Rickter could answer, a voice called just behind him. Turning to see the face of the new approacher---
Rickter’s eyes opened to see Telion staring down at him, a welling of wetness in her eyes as she examined him. She was cradling his head in her lap.
“Ricky! Oh, thank Raella! I thought…” She worried her bottom lip before shaking her head. “You scared me. That’s all.”
Gently she helped Rickter position himself, brushing his hair out of his face with a brief smile. She searched his face for a moment letting Rickter get his bearings. As the wolf composed himself, he was left to wonder...what happened?
Re: A Feeling So Foreign
Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:48 am
by Rickter
A Feeling So Foreign Frost 28th, 120th Year, AoS
This awakening felt unusually familiar to Rickter, however, as his returning senses allowed him to gaze upon that of a man, while the pain in his noggin lapsed its way down throughout his spine. Admittedly he couldn't help but groan at that, lightly scoffing as he didn't even remember what had hit him. It had to be hard, however, for he withstood all for his friends. This man... felt in line with that somehow, and gazing upon him as the wolf grew aroused, Rickter found the person in front of him someone interesting at best. A human... no... the ears are more refined near their tips, he saw that now, after allowing his gaze to adjust upon the man accordingly. Long dark hair, radiant silver eyes, a morning sun looming overhead? No... There was something to the light itself that beheld a majesty, as though it's forms meant something of great importance to Rickter. He did not understand how, but he felt he knew this man closely, enough to trust in him as the wolf had grown to do with Talon.
This man, however, felt akin to something else entirely. A touch of divinity perhaps? It was beyond the wolf to determine, only that as he came too, he greeted the man with a warm and weathered grin. He'd scared the poor bastard? After experiencing what he felt, Rickter honestly felt scared for himself in turn, albeit relieved that whatever had happened seemed to be a desired outcome. In being helped brought onto his feet, the wolf noticed the brand on dark-haired man's forearm was. A strange a peculiar symbol at the surface, and yet, to Rickter it evoked a sense of belonging and fellowship in turn. "I'm just glad I didn't clench back there..." Strange! That voice was almost his own, but in a way, it felt as though he didn't intend to say them initially. For Rickter this entire awakening felt like a parallel he'd fallen out of, only to feel like he'd walked over his own grave upon returning.
Yet it worked. Silver flames surrounded them with a simple gesture, and what his friend had wanted to accomplish had been achieved. It felt important to Rickter somehow, even if the detail of the moment felt in lackluster, or perhaps he simply hadn't questioned whether what he was seeing... had in fact been real. He was asked a question as he looked among the flames, basking in the warmth of their glow as another sounded like they were approaching. Yet before Rickter could answer the question, his eyes shifted to divert his gaze to the newcomer, out of sheer curiosity over who it was that had come to join them. Nothing. His lips moved and before he knew it darkness. It was darkness akin to the desolate cold, until Rickter realized somebody was still calling out to him. The wolf's eyes opened as he fidgeted within her lap, coming too almost as though he'd snapped from a trance. The bard that had cradled his head seemed overtly relieved after shaking her head, she had worried over him the entire time he was out?
Hannah knelt down to avoid sitting in the snow, her eyes heavily burning into Rickter now that he'd stirred awake. When he rose Rickter felt Telion gently shift about, using her hands to help ease him up as he came to sit within the snowy arena. Subconsciously he gripped at the spot over his heart, remembering that initial burst of pain in his chest first. What followed after though, was something he wasn't entirely sure of. "Ricky! Oh, thank Raella! I thought…" The tears in her eyes were kept at bay, but at his angle, Rickter knew she had been crying before. Hell... he made her cry, without even wanting to begin with. He felt awful then as he knew, Hannah's grim stare at him, that was the look of anger when he'd awoken. "You scared me. That’s all."
Yet she smiled at him still... Even swept a few strands of hair out from his eyes, as well as clearing the snow from him as he came to rise. He felt cold again, strange how frequent that was occurring. For now... the wolf had to settle for other matters, a need to combat cold would have to wait for now. "Oh, trust me, he'll be the one that's-"
"Hannah, no!" Telion interjected suddenly with a glare at her friend, actually shocking the brunette for a moment before she looked away.
"I'm sorry," he remarked directly to Telion with a look of sincerety, "it wasn't... it wasn't the fight I swear. Something happened Telion." At this Rickter expressed concern in his tone, a genuine thing that alerted Telion and Hannah both. "Something... I'm not quite sure about. But I promise to explain it when I can, for now, I-"
"You don't have to say anymore." Telion assured him with a tired look of understanding, still mostly relieved to see that the wolf was stirring again. "We should go home though."
"Before we do," Rickter protested plainly with a somber look to the bard, as she bit her lower lip a bit nervously in turn, "I apologize... for everything." She didn't look to sure to accept it, or maybe, she simply just didn't hold anything over it like he did. Either way, the wolf wasn't going to forget what he promised her. Hannah wound up sighing to herself in turn, breaking the momentary silence between them when she crossed by, being the first one to lead the way back to home. Telion's eyebrows rose apologetically to Rickter in turn, before she turned to face away as she decided to carry on as well. Honestly... the wolf couldn't blame them. He still felt cold as well, and there would more than likely be opportunities to talk things out, once everyone was comfy and warm again.
Still... Even as he'd decided to return home after them, Rickter couldn't shake the feeling in his gut. That silver brand that still burned in his mind, and the lingering questions he found within it.
"Every side attacks you when you don't take sides."
Re: A Feeling So Foreign
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 2:03 pm
by Paragon
R E W A R D S
Rickter
XP: 8. Can be used for Reaving.
Lore Requested:
Reaving: The Process of Forging New Pacts
Reaving: Merging Your Aether With A New Pact Weapon
Reaving: Overcoming The Pain That's Part of Reaving
Endurance: Resisting The Immediate Backlash With A New Pact
Endurance: Pushing Yourself To The Extent Of Your Limits
Endurance: Dealing With Exhaustion After Using Magic
Personal: Made Telion Cry, Unintentionally
Personal: A Vision of Divinity?
Note: Rickter bears a marking on his right forearm now, it is just barely noticeable. It is the shape of a sword with twin spirals of fire wrapping around the blade. It is in the form of thin pale white scarring that is only slightly raised upon the inner side of his forearm, barely visible except in the right light. He can feel the lines of it when he runs his fingers over the raised scars.
