The Red String of Fate (Chari)

The Red String of Fate.
That which is said to bind two souls together forever, defying even time and distance.
Over scorching deserts, frozen tundra’s, high mountains, and deep seas; it is that which is unbreakable by any means.

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The lizard mount’s feet skittered against the hard, cracked earth noisily, each step like a slab of dough slapping against a hard surface. The lizard mount and its rider dashed across the sands, a single black blot against the colorless ground and sky. The black-scaled mount leapt into the air as its rider pulled back on the reins, the two clearing a large dune and sliding down the other side. The black rider leaned back in the high-backed saddle as the bipedal creature let out a snake-like hiss and leapt forward against, its wide, clawed feet trailing sand.

Altra’s long, black hair flew out behind him wildly as the ninja pulled the black reins to the right, the lizard’s head—and successively, the rest of its body—following. For weeks, the two had raced across the unblemished desert, kept alive only by what Altra had brought with him and what he could transmute from the earth, which wasn’t much. The sun beat down relentlessly on the alchemist, yet his gaze remained on the horizon, remained determined. Those haunted green orbs were locked on a sight, a goal, that only he could seem to see.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

Altra led Vandread into the Arabic city on foot, the black reins wrapped tightly around his gloved hand. As the two passed under a tall, curving arch, the alchemist paused to survey the street in front of him. The city had been very difficult to spot, the colorless cluster of buildings almost lost to Altra amid the sand and swirling dust storms. The pale squares were built as close together as possible, lining each side of the hard packed dirt street. Wooden poles stuck straight out from the tops of the buildings, most of them supporting heavy canvas awnings.

The black-clad traveler led his curious mount slowly, watching the stands and people around him with a distant interest. This city was self-sufficient, for it had to be, stuck out in the middle of an endless desert as it was. Altra watched as a large, bearded man exchanged a loaf of wheat bread with an elderly woman, who paid him with a handful of poorly forged copper coins. Everyone one here traded within the city, the only exporting or importing being provided by traveling merchants and caravans.

The longed for glint stirred the alchemist from his musings, drawing his attention down the street to a large circular town square. He unconsciously hurried his steps as the large community well reflected light teasingly off the buildings surrounding the square. By the time he reached the well and pool, Altra was running, Vandread trotting along behind. The community well was a marvel indeed for a city such as this. Water was scarce here, yet everyone shared it without reservation, albeit conservatively. The well was actually a series of small wells; each one with a stone wall built up around and over it, with a thick rope tied over the top, the other end tied around a wooden bucket. Between each well was a shallow, rectangular pool, used mostly to water mounts and pack animals.

Altra rushed to an unoccupied well, grabbing the bucket hanging peacefully under the little rooftop and pulling it onto the lip of the stone barrier. The ninja deftly pulled empty glass bottles out of every imaginable hiding place: his bandolier, belt, pockets on the outside of his coat, pockets on the inside of his coat, along the inside seams of his coat, and more. Uncorking and setting each one carefully in the bucket, the alchemist held it out and slowly lowered it into the water below. Altra listened carefully to the echo of the water splashing and bubbles escaping their glass confines.

Satisfied, he carefully hoisted the bucket back up, reaching out to grab it and set it back on the stone barrier. One by one, he re-corked the bottles and returned them to their previous residences. Once the last container was returned, the alchemist sent the bucket back down again, looking at Vandread, who was hopping back and forth from one foot to the other expectantly. Re-hoisting the bucket, Altra tipped it over into the small pool huddled up beside the well, Vandread dipping his head into the clear liquid immediately.

Altra smiled—not that you could see it behind his mask—and patted the faithful mount on the neck. He had bought Vandread from an elderly mage at a high price, though he thought it ultimately worth it. Altra had served the mage alchemically for three months in exchange for Vandread, who was one of a kind. The strange lizard was a magical creation, not originally of this plane. Altra could summon and unsummon him through a magical locket he kept tucked safely under his clothing. He could survive in any environment, no matter how cold or hot, and made quite a speedy mount. And he was battle-trained as well, outfitted with hard, black scales and razor-sharp claws and teeth. Altra patted the lizard on the neck again. And on top of it all, he had an excellent sense of smell. Yes, Altra thought three months of service worth it, for Vandread would without a doubt help him find her.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

“Welcome, good sir!” Habib called cheerfully as the small tin bell above his shop door rung. “Be at ease while at Habib’s—” The shopkeeper faltered as he saw the dark brooding man stalk towards him, his face covered by a black mask. “Ah, sir, b-be we-welcome . . .?”

Altra ignored him and pushed aside a curtain behind the counter, walking through without hesitation or a word to the shopkeeper. Habib opened his mouth, but quickly closed it shaking his head. Altra walked through complete darkness, but was sure in his course, the echoes of his footsteps telling him the path of the hallway. The ninja pushed aside anther curtain and encountered the strangest room he had seen in quite some time.

The low ceiling had only a single dim lamp hanging from it, the orange glass throwing a similar light on the tiny room. Cushions and rugs covered every inch of the floor, and a small pedestal sat in the center, a large crystal ball perched on top. And sitting behind that pedestal was a man to match the room. He was tiny, miniscule even. His head was shaved completely bald, yet he wore a black turban with a large red feather. He wore a rich purple vest, which barely covered his chest, leaving his ample belly completely exposed. Billowy white pants hung from his crossed legs loosely, the material gathered together at the ankles. And to top it off, he was bedecked in all manners of jewelry, at least five pounds of necklaces hanging from his tiny neck and at least three rings around each finger and toe.

Plopping moodily to a cushion opposite the man, Altra folded his arms over his chest and waited expectantly. The man smiled richly and pulled out a long, thin pipe, lighting it with a match and taking a deep pull on it. Exhaling a cloud of swirling smoke, he leaned forward and set his “all-knowing” eyes on the ninja.

“So,” He began, pausing to take another pull on his pipe and releasing more smoke into the cramped room. “What exactly can I do for you?”

“I need you to find someone for me.” Altra replied immediately, his hands clenched in tight fists.

“Alright,” The seer said, nodding his head. “I’ll need some article or memento belonging to them.” Altra reached with the vast pockets of his trench coat and produced a light blue handkerchief. The man snatched it from him and examined it closely, finally draping it over the crystal ball. He had just started to raise his hands and swirl them on either side of the sphere when he looked up at Altra, as if suddenly realizing something.

“I’ll need some kind of—” He began, but was cut off as Altra tossed a pouch that clinked and jingled loudly into his lap.

“I’m taking that back if you can’t deliver.” The alchemist stated coldly. Smiling, the seer started to swirl his hands around again and chanted something under his breath. It continued for several minutes, the seer’s eyes closed and Altra’s watching him.

“A girl, or young woman.” He said finally, his eyes still closed as he swirled his hands around the crystal ball. “Long brown hair, pale skin, blue eyes, yes?” Altra nodded but the man didn’t see it, nor did he wait for an answer anyway. “She is somewhere very cold. Lots of snow and harsh winds. She’s not alone, either.” Altra’s hands clenched even tighter, to the point where he would have drawn his own blood had his hands been flesh and not metal.

“Go north, north and east.” The man finished, opening his eyes. “I can’t tell you any more than that.” Altra nodded his head in thanks and stood up. He had hoped for more than that, but at least it was a direction to go in. Ducking through the curtain, he started down the dark corridor again.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

Habib jumped as the black-clad man glided silently through the curtain and past him. The shopkeeper opened his mouth, hoping to perhaps try and persuade the man to buy something. Again, he quickly closed it. In truth, he was more saddened for people like that than afraid of them. What must it be like to live life joylessly like that? And was this dark man’s lack of joy a personal choice? Or inflicted? Habib could only shake his head and watch the man go.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

Altra stalked outside and swung up into Vandread’s saddle. Looking up at the sun to get his bearings, the traveler swung his lizard mount around and prodded him gently in the flank.

All joy had long since flown from Altra’s life. All laughter, all fun, all peace. And they would not return, not until the other half of Altra’s soul and heart were returned to him. Not until he had Kika by his side again would he be happy.

OoC: Who is the person Kika's with? I have no idea..............but imagination likes to be used!

Bic: Kika blinked as she walked through the snow, snow falling from her eye lashes. She wore a jet black coat over her robes. She held herself for extra warmth, trying to hold onto any heat that passed in the cold breeze. She was lucky it wasn't a heavy snow, or she would've had to escape to a cave to wait. Kika looked back to her companion, a man named Saito.

Saito was a skinny man about Kika's age. He had short, white hair with black roots, proveing that it had been dyed. He wore all black clothes. Kika didn't know Saito very well, they were just travelling together purely because they were going to the same place. Saito was a little quiet and only seemed to talk when nessisary.

Kika yawned and tripped, landing face-first in the snow. Saito blinked and stood over her, reaching out a hand to help her up. Kika took the hand and was pulled up.

"Thanks" said Kika.

"Your welcome" said Saito quietly.

Kika had been travelling those years, usually getting lost in every possible way known to life. She only got lost in this snowy hell for a few months with Saito. She used to like snow when she was little, but now she was sick of it.

Altra sighed as he looked up at the blazing sun overhead. Dough-like feet plodded along below him as Vandread made his way across the sands. The desert was hot enough, but the trudge through it in nothing but black? Altra was completely miserable. Not that he would have been in much of a better mood were he not roasting in a stew of his own sweat. The alchemist’s search had carried him over countless leagues and over many months, through cities, towns, fields, forests, and even over seas.

Nothing would stop him in his search for his beloved, although it seemed as if any and everything tried. The black-clad man slumped back in the high-backed saddled, his thoughts pensive. Exactly how long had he journeyed now? How long had it been since he had last seen his love’s face? How long had it been since she had disappeared from the face of the planet? And just how long, exactly, would it be before he saw her again? Thought such as these punished Altra more than the blazing desert sun ever could. His heart was torn, and it seemed as if it would never be made whole again. Kika was everything to him, and without her . . . without her was like being in Hell.

Indeed, Altra was in Hell. His own personal Hell. He was a mere shadow of the man he had been, without joy or happiness. It was not that he wouldn’t be happy, or that he wouldn’t laugh. It was that he couldn’t. The introduction of Kika into his life had completely changed both it and him. Before, he had lived in a world of darkness and shadows, but Kika had brought forth to his world a wonderful, beaming sun of joy and contentment. And now, with her gone, it was like that sun had been taken away, and he was left in darkness again. Only now it was worse. A man could live in darkness not knowing of the sun. But once he discovers and experiences its warmth, it is impossible for him to go back.

Altra sighed and closed his eyes; his head back so that the heat of the mid-day sun fell upon his face. What was he to do? He had embarked on this sojourn of his full of worry for the one he loved, but with determination and hope as well. Over time—and a long time had passed—his sorrow and worry had deepened, and his hope had diminished. Yet even so, he had remained determined. He would fall into despair, and he would lose most of his hope, but he would always remain determined, marching onward. Forever marching forward, because he was unable to do otherwise.

<====}=0 – 0={====>

It was like a dream for Altra. His head back, he had fallen into a sleep-like daze. From somewhere far off, a low buzzing permeated the alchemist’s reverie. The young man had swung his head down in time to see Vandread throw back his head and let out an ear-piercing screech before he was bowled over from behind. The ninja hit the sand hard, bouncing and rolling away from his mount and sharp claws pricked at him from above. The shinobi looked up to see a black beetle hovering above him, its multiple legs slashing at him. A beetle large than the alchemist and lizard mount combined. From Altra’s prone position, it almost completely blocked out the sky.

The ninja kicked at the monstrous insect’s underbelly, forcing it away as he rolled out from under it and sprang to his feet. Glancing to his left, the black-clad traveler found his mount similarly engaged, a pair of giant sand beetles flanking it. Normally, Altra would have found such an ambush annoying. But now, as he transmuted long, slender blades over each hand, he found himself lusting after the battle, aching with the need to inflict the pain he was feeling on another.

His skin tingled as all of the frustration he had suppressed rose to the surface, looking for, aching for, an outlet. The sand beetle’s mandibles clacked together rapidly, the beast approaching menacingly. Altra leapt over the beetle’s huge head, his hand coming down on its steel-like shell. The shinobi spun around on the beetle’s back, his other hand descending down in a straight-on stab. There was a high-pitched screeching noise as the auto mail alloy slid along the scarab’s shell, drawing only a thin scratch. Altra began to stream curses, but was cut off as the beetle threw open it’s wings, sending the ninja flying.

Altra landed on his hands and sprung away, steel-like mandibles just barely brushing the back of his neck as they snapped together. As the ninja came up, he fell back on one hand, swinging out wide with his right foot to knock the giant beetle’s head to the side. The alchemist followed through with a left stab, his blade connecting squarely on the beetle’s side. Yet, again, his blade was turned away. Tsking, he reversed his rotation and slashed his right blade across the monstrosity’s eyes. The beetle screeched in pain and anger, thrashing its head around wildly.

Altra leapt away and consulted the tip of each blade, finding them—rather disappointingly—bent and dulled. He looked back up at the blinded beetle, still darting around in pain, appraising its shell. Of course his blades had not pierced, they were not dense enough compared to the beetles shell. It was all merely simple laws of alchemy and chemistry. In order to pierce another object, the first much have a higher density. Meaning, Altra’s blades were too weak compared to the shell.

Pages and quotes from books on the alchemic laws flashed in Altra’s mind, causing him to fall into an almost peaceful state as he recalled his days of learning. His auto mail was made from a very special and highly durable alloy, and was thusly very dense. However, there were other things that were even denser that it (hence the current situation). Density was merely the space between the molecules that made up a substance; the closer the things were compacted together, the denser and stronger the substance would be.

Thusly, by rearranging and spreading out the molecules in his auto mail, Altra could form all shapes and manner of items. However, the large the object he transmutes it into, the wider spread the molecules become, and succinctly, the weaker and less dense the auto mail is. Therefore, he need simple transmute molecules from one arm to the other. By doing so, he would weaken one, but exponentially strengthen the other.

So Altra did; transmuting his left arm back to normal and directing a wide stream of molecules from it to the right arm. Such was the change that it was visible, the metal becoming darker and thicker looking. Grinning, Altra charged the sand beetle, which was starting to get its bearings and was looking for the shinobi. The giant reared its ugly head, mandibles clacking loudly, and brought it back down, the pincers closing on Altra. Or so they would have, had the alchemist not sheared right through them and into the beast’s head. Black ooze trickled out of the monster’s head, running down Altra’s sword arm and splashing onto the golden sands.

Grunting, the ninja yanked the blade free and kicked off the thing’s face, turning around the straddle its neck. Raising his blade above his head, the alchemist plunged the auto mail downward, the sword sinking into the top of the beetle’s head. As the ninja pulled the blade free and leapt off, he glanced over to see that Vandread had already killed one of the things, and was finishing off the other. Transmuting both arms back to normal shape and density, the alchemist looked back up at the blazing sun. Surely he had let out some frustration, but never would he be completely at ease, not unless he found his journey’s end with her by his side.

Kika sighed as she brushed snow from her hair. She wondered when she would get out of this hectic land of snow. Saito silently walked in front of her, occasionally checking to check Kika was still there. Kika felt numb, perhaps her coat was rubbish. She had wondered how long she had journeyed. She never kept track of those long days she spent wondering the land. Yet she had never had knew there was a frozen wasteland in the world.

When she had stumbled upon it, she had felt like she had left home. Maybe it was from the chills of entering unmarked territory. She wanted to go home the first day she spent there. Yet she couldn’t find anywhere familiar to her except the snow. That’s when she met Saito. He had found her when she was crying, homesick for familiar territory. Saito had promised to bring her back to her homeland only because he was trying to find Hyrule too.

Kika wondered if anyone had missed her in her absence. She was surprised, this being the first time she had thought about this. Kika thought about many people. Most of which were either dead or arrested. Even some she thought about hated her. Then she began thinking deeper......

“Hey” Kika stopped and saw Saito facing her “You okay you look a little pale”. Kika nodded.

“I’m fine, sorry for worrying-“

“You done already, help me find a place to set up camp, a cave would be nice” snapped Saito. Kika nodded, she being used to this. Saito seemed to be a person who disliked company. Kika was extra nice to him so she won’t get to any of his bad sides. Kika ran to Saito to set up camp, for he had found a cave.

---

As soon as Kika fell to her blanket, she began thinking again. She thought about Altra. ‘I hope I haven’t worried him too much’ she was thinking thoughts like that. She missed him.....and the more she thought about it made her a tad guilty. She had left without any notice, she was worried he had forgotten her, and she was worried that he might have thought she had died.

She closed her eyes and scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. She just prayed she would see him soon as she drifted to sleep.