[Kokiri] Andúrhil's Training

OOC: Here's the intro to the training (ps: its a bit long)

Anyway, here goes


IC:

The placid chirping of a nearby bird distilled the growing silence. The sun was drowning in a swirling turmoil of amethyst and burgundy as the last golden rays sped across the land and plummeted into the nothingness beyond the horizon. A figure barely distinguishable against the murky backdrop but for the bronze glow emanating from its bright armours walked besides a grim row of oaks, seemingly unaware that he was the only bright element in an ocean of retreating colours. His brow was heavy and dismal with dire thoughts, his face a distortion of once handsome and joyous features. He moved on, his metal boots striding gracefully along the dark earth and making no audible sound. One pair of elegant yet seemingly lifeless wings hung behind his back, gently bristling in the light wind. A circular shield of awe inspiring metallurgy hung below them, its angelic designs seeming to spring into life, and from his side hung a blade of unparalleled beauty resting in its golden sheath.

He knew not why he had taken this route, like so many things in his mind this question too was nestled in a veil of mist. Unsettling memories overturned in his mind as step by step he tried to walk out of his broken heart and clouded mind, the guilt of his past actions chasing him like a maddened gorgon, intent on devouring what remained of his soul. Without realising it, his disturbed march had led him to the outskirts of a small farm. He recollected his thoughts and scolded himself for his drifting inquisition in things which hurt too much to think about. However, for reasons he could not understand, he soon found himself walking between waist-high corn stalks within the border of the farm. The gentle murmur of farm animals echoed in the far distance and the outline of a wooden cottage began to appear above the sea of yielding crops which creaked in the breeze.

His course led him steadily onwards, towards the simple yet familiar construction which began to loom before him. For the cottage he saw greatly reminded him of his own residence on earth, the one he had shared with his beloved. Moving closer, he began to make out the sound of human voices. How long had it been seen he’d spoken to any human? Whenever he saw them he avoided them as if they were diseased beasts, mutilated creatures that could not lift themselves out of the cesspool of sin into which they had fallen, creatures unable to love, ignorant of the meaning of honour and which deserved no attention from him.

When he was but a few meters away from the cottage, he stopped abruptly and his eyes widened. From the house flowed such laughter as he had never heard for longer than he could remember, a female laughter. It was as pure as water trickling from a mountain spring, as sweet as the freshest honey; it was only comparable with the laughter which used to be so familiar to him not that long ago. When he finally recovered, he crept close to the cottage, completely noiselessly, and crouched behind a window, next to the cottage’s door. He slowly lifted his gaze and saw a couple sitting across a broad mahogany table, each of the pair lost in the other’s eyes, oblivious to anything foreign. Looking around, he noticed the layout of the house, simple yet homely. There was a shallow basin to the left of the room under a wide window and an iron stove in the corner. On the other side of the room across the table was a brick fireplace with a gurgling pot on a spit, slowly cooking. It pleasantly reminded him of his peaceful days on earth in the company of his loved one.

He looked at the couple again. The man wore a brown tunic with a green shirt below, slightly torn and rough-looking but comfortable, and a crude brown trousers. He looked kind and tender as he stared indulgingly in his sweetheart’s bright blue eyes, but Osiris felt he would fearlessly and courageously defend her in danger even up to death, and this puzzled him greatly as he observed this human. The woman was dressed in a simple brown skirt and a beige sleeveless top, simple and modest yet elegant on her finely shaped body, and she looked at the man which such love that Osiris found it difficult to look at her face directly. Without warning, the woman suddenly turned and saw him in the eyes and a surprised expression spread across her face. At once the man saw him as well and darted to the fireplace on which hang a small sword and made for the door, the woman wearing a worried expression now. The door was flung open but there was no one there, only a few feathers on the porch floor. Puzzled, yet relieved, the man returned the sword to its place and had Osiris still been there he would have seen the couple exchange a short but loving kiss.

Upwards and upwards did Osiris fly, trying to flee from this world of sweet pleasure and bitter pain, filled with great evil yet overflowing with love and benevolence. Tears rushed down his bright eyes, which sparkled, even though he forced them back with great effort. Ever since his regrettable deeds and his exile from Heaven, he had never once cried or shown any emotion, but now he felt unable to stop the tears. The moon now glowed in full, its perfect sphere casting its velvet silver over his armour, which glinted like the stars above. The emotions slowly subsided as he once again composed himself and began to slowly descend. Almost without knowing, he found himself within a darkened forest, where dark trees of subtle shades stood menacingly while the hooting of owls was heard in the distance. He was back to his usual proud, sceptical self, though he was less grim.

Along a broken path he walked, as a fog began to settle on the dismal forest, but he remained true to his route. Eventually, the moon was blotted out, but still Osiris kept moving. Then he suddenly stopped. Complete silence reigned, the owls had disappeared, and the very wind stayed itself. He thought he had heard something which could never be. He strained his ears to hear the slightest sound, his mind focused on the surroundings. Then he heard it again.

“Osiris,” a voice cried. Yet it was barely a voice for it sounded more like the swaying of a tree, the rustle of a leaf, the scuttling of creatures on the ground. But there was no mistaking it was a voice and it was calling him. He called upon his power and a blinding light shone around his body but it could not permeate the unnatural darkness.

“My beloved,” the voice said, “Why do you fear? It is I, Ellanda.”

This time the voice was clear, but it was still distant and fragile like the dew which gathers on leaves in misty mornings. Osiris listened intently and looked around. He recognised the voice, it was his beloved Ellanda. But how could that be?

“What sorcery of evil is this?” he cried aloud. He felt astounded and bewildered.

“Ellanda!” he cried in despair. His gaze moved from tree to tree but there was no sign of her.

Then suddenly the figure of Ellanda appeared before him, wearing the same white dress she did when Osiris found her dead. But she was far from human. She looked like a ghostly apparition and floated above the ground. Her once soft skin was now a deathly white; her once beautiful eyes were pale and devoid of life. An uncanny light flowed from her person, garbing the ground with a colour that stank of death and sucked the life from any that saw it. But there was no doubt about it. The now pallid yet still divine outline of his treasured Ellanda stood before him.

“Do not speak,” she said, yet Osiris could not speak even he had wanted to. He slowly crept towards her.

“I have been given permission to come here because the angels have been saddened both by your grief and your rage,” she reported.

“I don’t care anymore,” he replied. “Just ask them to leave us together and I will give all my eons of life for you!”

“You know that that is forbidden,” she replied. “Listen to me now, dearest. I have returned to tell you that you should not spend your eons in futile travels. There is a place where only the noblest warriors are allowed to enter. You must go there, my love, and find yourself again, maybe fall in love again.”

“Don’t… don’t say that,” he gasped. “You know I only have eyes for your fair face.”

A sad smile crossed her face, seemingly out of place on that ashen face. “My darling, had our time not been stolen from us, there would still come a time where the years would have crumbled my beauty and my spirit would eventually seek to leave the living world, yet you would still be as handsome as a spring blossom and unspoilt by the passage of time. Remember our cherished moments, but dwell not in the past. Look to the future, my love, it rises like the bright sun after a bloody battle.”

“But… Ellanda…,” Osiris stammered, moving closer to her.

“Hush now, my love,” she whispered. “Kiss me one last time, and then forget me like a summer breeze which blew across your face, then faltered and perished.”

Their lips met for an instant, Ellanda’s lips being cold and bitter, but nonetheless a pure love flowed between them. A moment later, Ellanda was gone and Osiris was falling through a void which was as colourless as the light which had surrounded her. He tried to fly but he had no sense of direction, a sense of inescapable vertigo followed him in every movement. He finally gave up and fell into a dazed unconsciousness.

He suddenly found himself on solid ground. Still faint with vertigo, he struggled up and slowly opened his eyes.

OoC: That is a very nice opening post. I like the comparison of water and air in the beginning there. It is interesting that your character is a fallen angel, implying Christianity, and yet has the name of an Egyptian God.

I notice you typed that in a word processor. Very nice. Error checking is a good thing.

Your third paragraph should really be split up a bit. A block of text that large can be tedious at times. Could have broken it at the beginning of the 7th sentence in that paragraph, for example. Also, if you are going to use semicolons, try to use them properly. The way you can tell if it is used properly is if you take each side of the semicolon, and each is a complete sentence. "A female laughter" should be preceded by a comma, not a semicolon. “But… Ellanda…,” should not have a comma, as well.

Apart from that, not bad, structurally speaking. But, obviously, that's not why you're here. Your descriptions are good. I commend you for that. However, towards the end, you were either getting lazy, or just don't like having much description in conversations. Between the dialog, instead of just saying "Osiris stammered," you could say "Osiris stammered, reaching toward her," or something to that effect. Gives it more motion.

Now then, on to my IC portion.

IC:

Osiris' vision was blurred when he opened his eyes, and so he squinted and blinked to try and clear it. As it slowly returned, he made out a figure standing over him. He groaned, and said, "Who...what? Where am I?"

"You," spoke the figure, in a low, quiet voice, "are in The Dome." Osiris' eyes cleared a bit more, and he saw the figure's eyes-red eyes, unmoving and unseeing, it seemed. "Now get up," the figure continued, "And follow me." Noting Osiris' apparent lack of vision, the figure moved, and Osiris felt the end of a cold shaft of some sort bash the side of his head.

"Ow!" he cried, and glared up at the figure, who he could now see clearly. "You..oh. I can see again."

"Of course you can," the figure said with finality, "now get up and follow." Osiris quickly rose and fell into step behind the man, who had already begun moving. Now that he could focus again, Osiris noted that the man did not, in fact, have red eyes, or at least, probably didn't, as he was wearing a large helm which covered his entire head. The helm itself was white, with a dark forest green edging, and odd looking horns of some sort, which stretched above the man's head, just as high as another head. These horns were not animal horns, they were constructs of metal, rounded, and yet strangely angular. Affixed on regular intervals on the horns were large, valuable looking gems.

The man was, apparently, heavily armored underneath a heavy cape of white and green. Lining the edges of the cape were odd runes which Osiris did not understand. He also carried a large staff, with a glowing orb at the top, and a sword, which was sheathed underneath the cloak. Despite all this, and various runes, gems, and other odd objects draped over his armor, he made no sound as he moved.

"Who did you say you were?" Osiris asked after a couple of minutes of walking down a rather dark corridor.

The man spoke without looking back or breaking stride, "I am Tarhedron, Farseer and lord of..." he paused his speach a second. "You don't need to know that. Just know that I am Tarhedron, and I shall instruct you on the proper ways of battle."

"But I already know how to--" Osiris began, surprised that a human could possibly think that Osiris could learn anything from him.

"I will tell you what you know," Tarhedron said, cutting him off. "And it is less than you think. Do not believe that I am human, for I am not."

Can this guy read minds? Osiris thought to himself.

"Yes," Tarhedron grunted, without further explanation, and refused to speak again until they reached a door, at which he abruptly stopped. "Pass through this door, and prove to me you can, in fact, fight."

"What?" Osiris asked, gazing at the unfeeling mask which Tarhedron wore.

"I want you to go in there, and defeat the demon within. It is not a particularly powerful demon, but it is still formitable, nevertheless. It will take the form of that which you love most, and attempt to kill you." Tarhedron offered no further explanation, except in opening the door he said, "Do not let its form fool you."

OoC:

I do believe I laid out what your next post shall be rather well. Make it as long as you like, so long as it's not 10 sentences, or forces me to read for two weeks. I really don't care if you decide to make your character loose. If you wish, Tarhedron can arrive and remove Osiris from battle, but there better be a good reason for it (meaning interesting struggle).

OOC: Well here I am, took me some time because of tons of homework. Anyway, I gave it a lot of thought and I think it looks good. A bit of violence/gore at the end, but hey, its a battle. I think you'll like the end. Its a bit deja vu but I think it feels ok. By the way, I think osiris will be a bit more willing to learn now, and he begins to feel some respect towards Tarhedron.

So,


IC:

Osiris gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped through the door. The moment he had crossed the threshold, the door shut with an uncanny creak. Osiris found himself in thick fog, but apparently there was bright light. His vision ahead was blurred. Turning back, he saw the dark shade of the door. He made a short sigh and began moving forward through the mist, his mind alert and observant.

“What is this place?“ he silently considered. "It must be that which Ellanda had mentioned. And that Tarhedron… he appears human, but is unlike any being I have ever seen. Yet he seems very powerful… and old, he seems older than even Anarchon. I must keep a watch on him. And he dares doubt my fighting abilities-“

He stopped abruptly. The mist had suddenly cleared up around him. He suddenly realised he was walking on a sandy floor with shallow water in places. And… it appeared as if he was out in the open, as the desolate, yet peaceful, landscape seemed to stretch into the mist in front of him and to each side. He glanced behind him, only to see that the door was lost in the mist.

“Well,” he said aloud, “it seems someone’s eager to battle.” He slowly unsheathed his sword and prepared his shield while giving his wings a gentle flap, and continued.

A few steps later, a tree became visible in the distance. Another few steps and an obscure figure appeared next to the tree. Its outline was too hazy to allow Osiris to identify it, yet he proceeded with caution. Peculiarly, the figure remained cloaked in shadows even though he drew nearer. When he was but a few metres from it, the figure suddenly became perceptible.

Osiris stood stunned, with a baffled expression on his face, his sword hand involuntarily relaxing its grip. Before him stood the slender form of Ellanda, dressed in the same white dress he had seen her before. This Ellanda, however, was unlike the other. Her eyes sparkled like luminescent sapphires, her skin, smooth and silky, glowed with life, her white dress, beautiful and unspoilt, draped her body and emphasised its features.

“But… what… What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, unsteady on his feet, his hands numb from the bewilderment.

Ellanda slowly looked up, until she was looking at Osiris straight in the eyes. The gaze was so intense that Osiris stumbled, dropping his shield. Without answering, she stepped away from the tree and began to make graceful steps towards him, her limbs moving in a subtle manner.

Thoughts raced through Osiris’ head. “What is going on?” he wondered impatiently. “Ellanda is dead, this cannot be her. Yet… it is Ellanda who summoned me here, maybe she exists in this place.” He was mesmerised by the sight, unable to move or react.

Ellanda moved closer and then unexpectedly stopped a step away from Osiris, still looking at him straight in the eyes.

“Ella-,” Osiris went to say, but Ellanda closed in and began to give him a passionate kiss. Her lips felt warm and alive this time, and Osiris almost completely gave himself into the indulgence. Yet something felt wrong. It was an implacable emotion, but he felt he was betraying someone.

Suddenly, the words of Tarhedron came to his mind, “It will take the form of that which you love most, and attempt to kill you."

“This can’t be Ellanda,” Osiris deduced with aversion. “I cannot feel our love; she is but a bodily imitation of my true beloved. Our love spans far wider than the earthly pleasures this creature presents”.

Osiris pulled back and pushed her away, yet she remained immobile. A grotesque tongue with teeth retreated within her lips which were now smeared with scarlet blood, a drop of which trickled down her neck. Osiris reached for his mouth, it was bleeding. He suddenly felt weakened, as if his life had been sucked out of him, and he was under the effect of some devilish venom.

A smile crept across the she-demon’s face. Osiris gripped the blade firmly and thrust it towards her, impaling her chest, and drew it back out. No blood flowed. The demon broke into an echoing laughter filled with malice, as the surroundings began to change. The cream sand burned off, leaving a floor strewn with bare bones, and the shallow puddles boiled away into pools of stagnant blood. The misty corners of the landscape dissolved into walls of flame.

The fake Ellanda was also changing. Her face turned into a twisted grimace and her hair became biting snakes. The dress tore off to reveal a serpentine body, her hands became wicked claws, and menacing fangs sprouted from her mouth. Osiris was growing weaker by the minute, as the poison flowed through his body. But he was not about to surrender.

“Writhe in fear you vile demon,” Osiris condemned, “for you are about to return to the pits from whence you came”. He bent down to pick up his shield and turned to confront the creature.

Before he had fully risen, the demon lunged with its claws at him, but Osiris avoided the attack with a swift roll to the right. He regained his footing and placed some distance between himself and his opponent. The demon slithered across the floor towards Osiris, but he was ready this time. He waited for the attack, and at the crucial moment spread his wings and took to the airs, the creature striking the place he was but a moment before. He came over the demon and plunged the Blade of Light into its back.

“Eeeeek!” the demon uttered a piercing scream but left Osiris unmoved.

“Light of Arda, I summon you,” Osiris shouted above the echoing din. At once the sword shone with a golden aura, and the demon uttered more shrieks of pain as it writhed in suffering. In some unnatural twist, the creature turned to Osiris and slashed at him with cruel claws. At once three deep gashes appeared on his arm and blood began to flow freely. The demon made another jerky movement and tossed Osiris to the ground. Gasping with fatigue, he forced himself up.

“The venom is wearing me down,” he thought while catching his breath. The creature was preparing to
attack again. “If only I hadn’t fallen in its trap!”

“Aaargh,” he cried in exasperation as he dodged yet another attack.

“I have to finish it now or else the venom will have the best of me,” he thought as he prepared to re-attack.

“It ends now, do you hear?” he shouted at the demon. A deafening shriek arose in response.

Osiris gathered his drifting senses and began to charge at the demon, using the shield as a deterrent. The demon saw him and started to rear up in order to strike with its full might. As the creature began the attack, Osiris slammed into it with the shield and thrust the blade into the demon’s throat.

“Day of Judgement, burn this incarnation of evil with your holy light,” Osiris yelled, his hand still firm on the hilt of his sword. The blade’s edge began shimmering with an intense golden light, and the glow spread until the whole sword flashed white. “Be gone with you,” he exclaimed.

The demon began to holler in madness as its neck burst aflame, and soon the whole area was covered in blinding white light. Left and right did the creature whither, yet Osiris held fast. One last, deathly shriek resonated across the room, and then the demon burst into sparks and burning embers which slowly subsided and went out.

Osiris fell to his knees exhausted, sword and shield still in his hands. The venom had completely drained him. He was barely holding onto consciousness. His vision was fading fast, but he noticed a figure approach him. He looked up but only made out a pair of shining, metal horns. Then everything went black.

OoC: Sorry for the delay here. I blame any typos on using a PDA for this post.

I must say, your are very good at this there isn't anything I can find that I think should be changed. Good job.

A bonus assignment for you (that means it's optional): think of a good way to describe the the shape of the head in my avatar, which is, coincidentally, the shape (not color) of Tarhedron's helm.

BiC:

Emotional fool, Tarhedron thought as he approached the unconscious Osiris. Without speaking a word, he lifted Osiris with his mind, and lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his staff.

Instantly, the scenery changed. He now stood at the edge of a forest, and in front of him was a small crystal clear spring, with a small brook leading off into the trees. Tarhedron idly looked around a moment, enjoying the quiet.

He stepped closer to the spring, and shifted the floating form of Osiris directly over the center of the spring. He released Osiris, who dropped into the near freezing water.

Osiris awoke instantly, and sputtered to the surface. He looked wildly arond a moment, and saw Tarhedron standing quietly. "Did you just drop me in here?" he demanded.

"Yes," Tarhedron replied simply. "You will notice, also, that you are no longer suffering the effects a poison."

Osiris had been glaring at Tarhedron, but once he was told this, he stopped, and realized it was true. "Thanks, I guess."

"Now get out of that water," Tarhedron said quietly, "There are things to do." As he usually did, Tarhedron spun around and silently stode away. Osiris reluctantly followed. Ten paces away, Tarhedron abruptly stopped and reached out, grasping the handle of a oaken door that appeared as he did so. Beyond was another corridor of the Dome, as dull as ever. Perhaps, Tarhedron thought as he strode along, I should have some of these corridors decorated to look completely different. That'd throw them off even more. Then again, if each corridor were different, they could more easily learn the layout, given time.

Never having looked back, Tarhedron simply assumed Osiris had followed, as they all invariably did. Therefore, when he stopped at a door, he spoke without turning. "Your next task is to find for me a-" he paused a moment, and looked at Osiris, considering how to phrase the assignment. "A...Medallion of sorts beyond this door. In retrieving it, you must not kill anyone, nor steal, or do any thing that could considered criminal." Osiris looked slightly hurt by the accusation, and Tarhedron said nothing more, his facial expression hidden by his helm.

Tarhedron opened the door, and faint sounds of human activity wafted out.

OoC:
The 'medallion' referred to is a microchip. The assumption by Tarhedron was that Osiris doesn't know what it is. The city which you should describe is a fishing village, nothing particularly modern, or even very nice looking. The medallion will be found in the hands if a person who will hand it over willingly, no matter what Osiris calls it.

Feel free to go over what Osiris thought or did as they travelled during my post. Also ask about the assignment, but remember that Tarhedron should remain decidedly enigmatic.

Again, I apologize for taking so long to reply.

Yeah, thanks for the good comments. I re-wrote it like 5 times before it was perfect

Btw, about the time delay, I spent agonising days in despair and self-pity :confused: waiting for your reply No, seriously, its okay, I understand, it must be difficult to be an admin, it must be really time consuming. :cool:

About the head description, I an't really distinguish your avy. Maybe you have a better image? But since its optional, I'll give it a go anyway.

Slightly different, but this one happens to be exactly what I mean.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/kokirikid256/farseer.jpg

OOC: Well Scott, I haven't replied for a while, but I've only just found time (and inspiration) to write. Heh, my thread even disappeared from the forum, but I've found it. I haven't done the bonus assignment yet, but I plan to. Here goes, beware its long, lol.

IC:

Osiris stepped out into the light. The bright rays of the sun fell upon him, adding to his strength. He found himself on the edge of a vast forest, which spread across the encircling hills. Ahead lay a winding road carved into the hill, bordered by lush green vegetation which covered the hillside. At the bottom of the hill lay a small village consisting of about 20-30 small buildings. Beside it lay a sapphire river with gentle banks and calm waters, which gradually spread out as it met the sea in the horizon. In the midst of the river Osiris could make out a group of sailboats, gently drifting upon the glistening waters.

He turned towards the track and began walking towards the settlement. He took off his helm and placed it at his side. A sea-breeze began to pick up, and it gently flowed through his golden hair. For a few minutes nothing crossed his mind, he walked on, absorbing the warm sunshine, smelling the scent of ripe flowers and listening to the sounds of nature, as he heard the voices from the village become more and more clear.

“I can’t believe I was so easily fooled by that wretched demon!” he exclaimed. “Perhaps… I am not fit to fill the ranks of the Angels… If it was not for… Tarhedron, I would have been dead by now. All that training and skill with the blade, and yet a lowly demon had the best of me.”

The village sounds had become audible, and he could make out the sounds of playing children and chattering adults. The flowing river waters gave a background melody to the whole scene, which seemed to Osiris as serene and peaceful.

“Is this… village, real?” he pondered. “I must still be within the structure I have been travelling through, yet this seems like an outdoor landscape. Some sort of “magic” must be at work here. That Tarhedron definitely knows more than he cares to reveal.”

Coming past the trees on the last bend of the road, Osiris came in sight of the village. The first first few houses were small stone-brick wooden cottages, with small fenced gardens of growing vegetables. Osiris began to walk between the buildings and came across some children playing. They wore slightly ragged clothing made of a crude fabric. The children awkwardly stopped their games and turned to stare at Osiris in awe. The look unnerved him, for some reason it seemed to pierce through his mind and reach his deepest thoughts.

“Mister,” one of them asked, “are you an… angel?” He seemed intrigued by Osiris’ large wings.

“Yes,” Osiris muttered, almost under his breath.

At that moment, a young woman, presumably their mother, saw the situation and came closer. She was dressed in a brownish skirt, which seemed to do little justice to her beauty, and her long, black hair was kept in a ponytail behind her

“Come on children,” she told them in sweet tone, “don’t bother the man now. Go tell your father that dinner is ready.” Then she looked at Osiris.

“Welcome to our village,” she greeted, with a smile as piercing as the children’s stares, if not more.

“I… thank you,” Osiris replied. The woman seemed to be strangely at ease with his appearance.

“My name is Adele,” she explained. “Don’t worry about your appearance; our village is used to travellers of strange form which pass by. My husband and I are about to dine, would you join us?”

“… Yes, I would,” he replied after some thought.

Adele led the way into the cottage. The inside was covered with the same stone as that outside. It seemed to be the kitchen or the dining room. A long wooden bench lay in the centre, adorned with ceramic plates and metallic eating utensils. In the centre lay a strange lighting item. It had a large metallic blue base, with a white glass tube upon it, which emitted a bright light along with a peculiar hissing sound. Across the room lay a brick fireplace, with a gurgling pot over the stove. A series of drawers and closets lined one side of the room, and the walls were decorated with ornaments and other strange items.

The rear door opened, and the children entered, followed by a man in his late 20’s, dressed in a beige trousers and a brown shirt of some strange material. He stopped and looked at Osiris, his gaze going subtly to the sword at Osiris’ side.

“This is…” she began.

“Osiris,” he completed.

“He is passing by and I invited him to join us for dinner.”

At once, the man’s gaze lightened, and his face broke into a smile as he said, “Welcome to our humble home. I am John,” and gave his hand, which Osiris shook. “Please, sit down.”

Osiris took a seat, along with the rest of the family, as Adele served the warm contents of the pot, after adding a plate for Osiris. He felt a little reluctant, but eventually picked up a spoon and began to eat.

************

After the meal was over, Osiris got up. “Thank you for the meal,” he said. “I… I’m looking for someone I have to get a medallion of sorts from.”

“A medallion, you say,” John pondered.

“I believe it is something… I have no knowledge of… Like that device,” Osiris continued, pointing to the lamp on the table.

“Ah, I see what you mean, technology. You should ask Markus, at the docks,” John replied.

“Again, I thank you,” Osiris repeated, and left.

He looked in the distance, and spotting the harbour, began to make for it. Along the way he saw many a strange devices, which appeared to be metallic, several quite rusty, and noisy. Most were used to distribute river water to the houses with crops, though how they worked, he could not guess. The houses then began to change, and some were made of peculiar red bricks which seemed to be identical in shape. He came across several more people, who either greeted him or stared at him in interest.

“Perhaps humans are not all as evil as I had presumed. The people here are… friendly, peaceful…” he considered, as he neared the harbour.

The harbour building was a shabby, wooden structure, with a thin metallic roof, and it continued into the river, supported on underwater stilts. Next to it stood a small shed, from which came a constant, deafening sound. Some distance to the right of the building, lay a wooden pier, on which several wooden boats were anchored, and some of them, to Osiris’ surprise, had no sails. Reaching the entrance, he awkwardly knocked the door.

“Yes? Who is that?” said a hoarse voice.

“I’m looking for someone called Markus,” Osiris replied.

A strange unlocking sound came from the door, and it creaked slightly open. Outside protruded the face of a man in his 40’s, slightly bearded, wearing glasses. He was eyeing Osiris suspiciously.

“Do not be alarmed, I am not going to harm you,” Osiris reassured.

“You sure about that?” he questioned, “cause I’ve had many people looking for me. Anyway, come in.”

The door shut, and after some more sounds, it opened completely. The man stepped inside, and went towards a work-bench, covered in strange tools and incoherent devices, and placed a device he was holding, a long metal cylinder connected to a wooden base, next to the bench. He seemed to regard it as a weapon. The room was plain and simple; the walls were covered with various shelves, filled with more contraptions. The corners of the room were filled with large machinery, old and rusted. Osiris was surprised to see that light came from a small glass object hanging from the ceiling. The only sound came from a white metallic box, which made an odd whirring sound and had flashing lights, and next to it laid a… picture of sorts resting in a frame of some strange material.

“I am Markus,” the man said. “What would you want?” he questioned, almost with annoyance.

“I have been sent to ask for a… medallion,” he replied. “But I don’t know what it looks like. It might be part of your… technology.”

“Hmm…” he replied, and rummaged among the items on his bench. “Would this be what you are looking for?” he said, as he lifted up a minute device.

Osiris moved in closer, just to be able to see it. It appeared to be a thin black slab, with a metal plaque in the middle. It looked insignificant and weak, but Osiris felt it was very powerful.

“Yes, this must be it,” Osiris replied, reaching for it, and placing it in his gauntlet for safe keeping. He thought of what he should do now. Tarhedron had only mentioned getting the medallion. But he was at a harbour…

“I assume you’ll be paying for that?” Markus questioned.

“I don’t have any form of payment,” Osiris said. “Insolent human!” he thought. “I could very easily take it and leave, dealing with him if he poses an obstacle… But he has done me no wrong… And he does rightly claim a reward. But what can I offer?”

His mind searched for an answer, and he reluctantly looked at his helm.

“Would this do?” he asked, holding it up.

“Oh, my…” the man said, surprised.

“I’d also like to purchase a boat,” Osiris added.

“Sure,” Markus replied, placing the helm on his bench, and escorting Osiris to the back of the building. “How about this one?” he asked, pointing to a small, craft without sails.

“I would prefer one with… sails,” Osiris replied.

“All right, take this one,” he said, pointing to a medium sized wooden vessel, with two sails.

“Thank you,” Osiris said, and entered the boat.

He knew he could fly anyway, but something in Tarhedron’s words seemed to point to using boats. Untying the boat from the docking platform, he began sailing downstream.

OOC: I suppose a meeting between Osiris and Tarhedron on the boat ought to follow.