White Chain (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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daybreakacademy2019-02-04 11:01 am
peace_keeper) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-02-04 11:01 am
I will see you in Samura
Who: 82 White Chain and the Outlands Cosmology Class
What: Field trip!
Where: Dead Kingdom of Samura, The Outlands.
When: Early February
Warning: I hope you got a signed consent form from your legal guardian.
After weeks of talking about the voices of gods and the void between worlds and the King's Road and other such esoteric topics, it would not be surprising for even a studious student to still not have a good grip on what The Outlands were. They were a big place, after all. Far larger than the Earth, and far stranger.
Eventually, you had to just go there.
White Chain had been reminding her class of the upcoming trip for the last week, but it might still be surprising to see a large stone archway set up in the front of the classroom. It was covered in carefully carved runes, and would not have looked out of place in a wizard's tower or a crumbling dungeon full of goblins and beholders. It definitely looked out of place in a classroom.
Once the class was gathered, White Chain addressed them all with her hands clasped behind her back. "Once active, this gateway will lead to the dead kingdom of Samura. Samura was once a land dedicated to peace. A land of philosophers and poets. Such things rarely last, but Samura's end was not what you might assume. No one conquered it. No, Samura fell because of wars in neighboring regions. Refugees, seeking peace, continually fled to Samura until eventually there was not enough food and shelter for anyone. The result: Famine, riots, and collapse. Now, only ruins and bones remain. It is a somber place. It is also safe, and so an ideal place to first experience the outlands."
Each student was offered an emergency kit that included a signal flare, should they get lost, a lightweight emergency blanket, and a water bottle. She touched a rune on the gateway and a portal of shimmering light swirled into being before turning clear, and suddenly instead of seeing the blackboard behind the gate, you could see a starlit desert. "Are there any questions before we go?"
The Ruins of Samura
The first thing anyone noticed on stepping into the Outlands was that Samura was COLD. Breath fogged the near freezing air. The second thing anyone noticed that this was like no place on Earth. A desert of vividly purple stand stretched out to the horizon. Strange, alien trees remained here and there, stunted, twisted, and dead from centuries of drought and famine. Above, a sky impossibly dense with starts of a thousand vibrant colors lit the land almost as bright as daylight. The portal stood in the middle of what must have once been a beautiful plaza lined by building that looked to be almost as much sculptures of art as they were homes and businesses. Now, most of them were falling apart or just rubble, but a few remained upright.
The main street led away from the plaza towards a large cliff which appeared to have a waterfall flowing down it and the shapes of more buildings along the top. On closer examination, however, it became obvious that the "waterfall" was actually a sandflow, and that it was flowing up the cliff face. Indeed, there appeared to be an entire river of shifting sand that wound through the ruins of canals that criss crossed the ruined town.
Here and there, one could find bones. Human bones. Nothing lived here. Not anymore.
"Be cautious with the ruins. Some of them are quite fragile, and could collapse. We leave in three hours time. I will set of a signal flare by the gateway half an hour before we leave, and will leave the gate open until all students are accounted for. If you get lost, set off your flare and I will come for you as fast as I can."
What: Field trip!
Where: Dead Kingdom of Samura, The Outlands.
When: Early February
Warning: I hope you got a signed consent form from your legal guardian.
After weeks of talking about the voices of gods and the void between worlds and the King's Road and other such esoteric topics, it would not be surprising for even a studious student to still not have a good grip on what The Outlands were. They were a big place, after all. Far larger than the Earth, and far stranger.
Eventually, you had to just go there.
White Chain had been reminding her class of the upcoming trip for the last week, but it might still be surprising to see a large stone archway set up in the front of the classroom. It was covered in carefully carved runes, and would not have looked out of place in a wizard's tower or a crumbling dungeon full of goblins and beholders. It definitely looked out of place in a classroom.
Once the class was gathered, White Chain addressed them all with her hands clasped behind her back. "Once active, this gateway will lead to the dead kingdom of Samura. Samura was once a land dedicated to peace. A land of philosophers and poets. Such things rarely last, but Samura's end was not what you might assume. No one conquered it. No, Samura fell because of wars in neighboring regions. Refugees, seeking peace, continually fled to Samura until eventually there was not enough food and shelter for anyone. The result: Famine, riots, and collapse. Now, only ruins and bones remain. It is a somber place. It is also safe, and so an ideal place to first experience the outlands."
Each student was offered an emergency kit that included a signal flare, should they get lost, a lightweight emergency blanket, and a water bottle. She touched a rune on the gateway and a portal of shimmering light swirled into being before turning clear, and suddenly instead of seeing the blackboard behind the gate, you could see a starlit desert. "Are there any questions before we go?"
The Ruins of Samura
The first thing anyone noticed on stepping into the Outlands was that Samura was COLD. Breath fogged the near freezing air. The second thing anyone noticed that this was like no place on Earth. A desert of vividly purple stand stretched out to the horizon. Strange, alien trees remained here and there, stunted, twisted, and dead from centuries of drought and famine. Above, a sky impossibly dense with starts of a thousand vibrant colors lit the land almost as bright as daylight. The portal stood in the middle of what must have once been a beautiful plaza lined by building that looked to be almost as much sculptures of art as they were homes and businesses. Now, most of them were falling apart or just rubble, but a few remained upright.
The main street led away from the plaza towards a large cliff which appeared to have a waterfall flowing down it and the shapes of more buildings along the top. On closer examination, however, it became obvious that the "waterfall" was actually a sandflow, and that it was flowing up the cliff face. Indeed, there appeared to be an entire river of shifting sand that wound through the ruins of canals that criss crossed the ruined town.
Here and there, one could find bones. Human bones. Nothing lived here. Not anymore.
"Be cautious with the ruins. Some of them are quite fragile, and could collapse. We leave in three hours time. I will set of a signal flare by the gateway half an hour before we leave, and will leave the gate open until all students are accounted for. If you get lost, set off your flare and I will come for you as fast as I can."
no subject
[He doesn't really notice things like that. Then he gets distracted from the name conversation altogether when Rex mentions the tower.]
Yes! We could see like everything from there! How far do you think the desert goes!? Is there an oasis!? Maybe there's more ruins of another city you can see!
[He starts for the towers, still thinking of things they might find.]
Do you think they have like a bell in the tower or maybe a dragon, well it'd be dead, but a dragon skull!
[For some reason that's not frightening like a human skull.]
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I imagine it is at least three hundred square miles in area, but that's a conservative estimate. I doubt there would be any oases, as they require vegetation and often must be maintained- there may be guelta, though. Those are sitting water in stone or valleys. Due to the flat land, it's relatively reliable we would be able to see other ruins, yes.
[ He follows behind, glad of the distraction- obtaining knowledge is the greatest but having questions to answer is almost as fun. ]
The tallest one does appear to be some form of a chapel, so it is entirely possible it contains at least one bell. A dragon would likely have left before starvation killed it, even if one would lower itself to live with humans. As this is the Outlands, I would speculate we may find the remains of an inhuman race of some sort.
[ With them exchanging motormouth questions and carefully chosen answers, the tower is in reach. Rex takes a moment to look it over with a discerning eye- his scavenging habits is one of the reasons he's known as Black Dog, and he knows ruins well. ]
Looks stable.
[ It, in fact, does not. It looks like it might go over any second, to his expert eyes, but that suits him. ]
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Are you sure~!?
[Toki is no expert in building structures or architecture, but he's kind of wary of the tower. It seems to be leaning a bit. Not that it matters, he'll explore it anyway. But he doesn't know Rex's general opinion on potential destruction of ancient ruins and ensuing repercussions.]
What if we break something, or pieces of it fall off and someone sees!? I mean, I don't care about that, but just so you know, I'll probably destroy something maybe even just looking at it, so you should have some elaborate excuse planned in case we get caught! Elaborate ones are the best because they stop listening halfway through and you can usually get away with it~!
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Relatively.
[ To illustrate, Rex puts a foot on it and pushes, hands still in his pockets. The tower doesn't wobble, so hey, good enough right? ]
Incidentally, I doubt anyone would much care if it loses any stone so long as no one gets hurt. All the same, please don't throw anything or jump up and down on any surface, regardless of how stable it seems.
[ S O L O N G A S N O O N E G E T S H U R T echoes in his head, like haunting words in retrospect before he's done anything bad. ]
Do you have some sort of destructive power, then?
[ He makes it sound like he just didn't get Toki's comment about breaking stuff by looking at it, but it would be useful to know. In the meantime, he walks in looking around carefully. Looks like they've come in by the back entrance- an office to one side, stairs into the tower the other, a long row of pews in front. Looks like some sort of organ is there, but all the pipes are twisted and wound into maddening shapes- the skeletal figure draped over the keys has four arms. All the better for playing. ]
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I'm not gonna throw things! I'm not five!
[Sometimes he's five, so he's not exactly offended by the assumption he'd be so childish, but he feels the need to protest anyway.]
Haha, no~! I don't really have any powers~! I'm a Seer, but it's kind of not working right or something, or I just can't figure it out yet! So far it's not at all helpful~!
[He's a weak and fragile human, and hasn't been at his best physically or mentally since arriving at the academy. He's absolutely no threat to anybody who does have powers, and is pretty useless in any situation, but he isn't much bothered by that fact.]
What kind of powers do you have!?
[He asks that while stepping inside the building. It's kind of like what Toki imagines an old European castle to look like, but it's a church of some sort. The pews are stone, and probably the only reason they were still standing. He assumes the organ was destroyed by some kind of fire; the pipes look melted (or maybe they were designed that way?). He starts walking over to it before seeing the skeleton's extra arms. Oh shit. It's like a daemon skeleton or something. There's a couple bone nubs poking out from the shoulder blades. It probably had wings.]
Is that a daemon!? Why would a daemon city have a church!?
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Me? I'm just a wizard.
[ He leaves it at that- there's not any distinction between a mage and a wizard, except he thinks wizard sounds better. ]
But I've been helping people with their powers, so if you'd like me to study yours...
[ Oh that gets cut off by Toki's investigation. Rex had been rummaging through the office, the desert dryness keeping some things remarkably preserved. Nothing too interesting, but he's a thorough sort.
The screamed question has him emerge, calm as ever, observing quietly. ]
There are lots of things to worship.
[ Another simple question, another earnest answer. ]
no subject
My roommate's a wizard too. Kind of? I don't know, he knows magic stuff and he has a familiar! Do you have one!? What kind of animal is it!? If you've been helping people with their powers, you can totally study mine~! I see things like, well, they look like that! [He gestures to the doorway and out into the colorful Samura.] There's a lot of insects like bees and butterflies and beetles and ants and speaking of ants, there was this whole army of them being led by like a giant preying mantis! Or well, it wasn't really giant, but was to them I guess because ants are small, but anyway! It was singing or chanting or whatever~! If stuff like that makes sense to you, have at it~! I talked to Tatsumaki, do you know her? She said to look up dream interpretations because her visions aren't like that so she couldn't really help beyond that, and I did look into the dream stuff and it's just more confusing because there's so many interpretations for the littlest things! Like fog; it depends on the density of the fog and the color and whether you're lost in it or just walking through it or what season it is! It's too much to sift through and I've pretty much given up already~! I mean, I think I have one half-figured out, but then it's something completely different the next day and none of them ever mean the same thing!
[While he's talking, he's looking at some rune-type carvings on the wall near the staircase. He doesn't know what they mean and maybe he shouldn't be touching them, but he's going to anyway.]
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He gently grasps Toki's wrist when he reaches for the runes. ]
Please don't poke the magical runes, you'll probably die.
[ I mean, it's a possibility but 'you'll probably die' is a Rex's default position on most situations. ]
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[Not that he knows who they are, or their intentions. But he resists the urge to just touch them with his other hand.]
Okay, so this room's boring now~! We should go up to the tower~!
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[ This is basic logic, Toki. Or paranoia.
Despite Toki's request to head up, Rex spends a moment staring at the symbols with a hand raised in a 'hold on a sec' manner. He flicks through his phone to compare to the others he's seen and...
He pokes it.
'FWUMP' is the sound of a series of torches igniting up the spiral staircase to the tower top. ]
Lightswitch.
[ He looks up- seems the stairs have broken in a few spots, but a long step- he glances at Toki's legs, then his own. A long step or a short hop should clear them. ]
Very well. Please don't run, you might die.
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See? It was something to be touched~!
[Toki has no intention of running up the stairs, and he's starting to get annoyed with Rex's precautionary admonishments. He's actually pretty slow ascending the staircase after clearing the initial broken steps. New sets of stairs are still hard with the depth issue from one blind eye, and this particular staircase is curving and completely open to the room on one side for half of it. Further up it becomes enclosed and spirals up the length of the tower. There's a couple of triangular windows where the stars can be seen through. It would likely be a decent view.
There's a door at the top of the staircase. It swings open easily when he pushes on it. There isn't a bell, but there used to be. The pulley system and ropes are still there. It's a typical castle tower; rafters and several large openings in the walls to look out over Samura.]
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[ If it helps any, it's not a Toki specific thing. He's come to feel overly protective of anyone who hasn't been living in the 'real world', which is what he calls knowing about magic, for long. They run around and poke things and ask about things that it's not okay to ask about, or want to cuddle his horrible spirit beast.
It's his job to keep them alive and unfortunately, Rex sees death lurking everywhere. He stays behind Toki, climbing much easier for him for a variety of reasons. He can clear two steps at a time and has two working eyes, step right over gaps. ]
The bell wasn't on the ground floor...
[ Rex checks a rafter's sturdiness before he holds onto it to lean ever so slightly out into the gap, looking down. ]
Someone must have taken it. Perhaps the metal was valuable.
no subject
Maybe~!
[It strikes him as odd that who/whatever lived in the Outlands would be scrounging for scrap metal like people... in their dimension? On Earth?... He admittedly doesn't know where they are in relation to where they came from. Toki hadn't been paying attention whatsoever to any of the prefacing for the field trip.
He looks out over the desert from one of the openings. It's facing the opposite direction from where they started. He can't see any students or really anything but a long stretch of purple sand and gnarled trees spreading out until they seemed to curve into the sky. There's not really a horizon line; it's more vague and just... weird.]
no subject
[ Indrik is absolutely adorable in appearance if you're into baby rhinos with lion manes and cow faces. He just has a garbage personality. That's mostly due to the fact he's linked to Rex's own trash soul, so don't blame it on the baby.
Rex gives Toki a moment to gaze out into the alien landscape, examining the tower and evaluating its suitability for his self-imposed task. Seems a good choice. Nowhere to run- correction. He gently closes the door. Nowhere to run, Rex knows he can survive jumping out at this height, doesn't seem anyone is looking from the side they can be seen...
Time to bite the bullet. He takes a deep breath, steadying his nerves. Calm and collected. ]
Toki.
[ His low tone is heavier than even it normally is. Even his reminders that Toki might die any second, which didn't seem to bum him out anyway, were lighter. ]
Does the name Ginshu mean anything to you?
[Being Rex, he's equally ready to defend himself if the mere mention has Toki attack him... or catch him if the name makes him slip. ]
no subject
What!? I didn't do any-
[Rex's question makes him stop mid-sentence. Ginshu. He starts breathing too heavily and he can't do this here, not in some ruins in the Outlands on a field trip. Don't scream. Don't scream. Don't scream. He shoves his hand in his mouth and bites down hard; he needs to stay in the present. It's kind of working... he's still seeing the tower and Rex and not the shrine and a werewolf, but he's pretty sure that horrible keening noise is him. He's focusing too much on trying not to completely lose it, he's not even thinking about how Rex could possibly know anything about his sister.]
no subject
He doesn't rush over or try to console him, pressing his back to the door and slowly sliding down, sitting on the rough, dusty floor. Watching carefully, but with more concern in his eyes than he realises. He's waiting to make sure Toki doesn't do something to hurt himself, more than anything. And he thinks distance is probably best- he's hardly the most comforting figure and a respectful silence is more appropriate. ]
no subject
H-how do... She...
[He's wrong. He can't form a sentence yet. He sits down too; it's a good idea, before he blacks out and falls off the tower. That's a distinct possibility depending on what Rex has to say. He tries again after a moment, looking at the floor and not Rex.]
D-do... did... Did you know her?
[Toki can't tell how old Rex is, and maybe he did know Ginshu at some point. He didn't know all of his sister's acquaintances. He's hoping it's some innocent connection, but there's dread in the pit of his stomach telling him it's not.]
no subject
I did not. I recently... encountered her.
[ Even the pause is deliberate, having designed it to give the impression it's all a lot more off the cuff than it is. The way he pinches the bridge of his nose is perfectly natural though. ]
And I promised to pass on a message from her, to you.
[ He doesn't say 'final message' or 'last words.' He fully intends to give the impression she passed on to some peaceful afterlife. For all he knows, she did! It's not entirely a lie. ]
no subject
[She only died in December, but somehow he thinks Rex means even more recently than that. Which is somewhat confirmed by his next sentence. Toki's trying not to panic again. He wants to know what's going on.]
When did you see her!? Is she a ghost!? Orihime said there was a ghost! Was it her!? Is she still here!? What does she want!?
[He's desperately trying to picture ghost Ginshu as whole and beautiful and not some animated zombie-like cobbled together spirit with dead glassy eyes. It's not working.]
no subject
In the end, it seems that actually delivering the message will answer most of the questions at once. ]
She said there was nothing you could have done, and she is at peace.
[ He does continue though, one hand over his face, blocking an eye. There were only a few questions left. ]
I think whatever was influencing her behaviour wanted her to harm you- when I removed that influence, she could not stay to deliver the message herself.
[ Technically none of this is a lie, if you look at it from the perspective of someone who desperately does not want it to be a lie and can fool themselves. ]
I'll remember the beautiful face behind that mask for the rest of my life.
[ That one is completely earnest, though perhaps not for the reasons he implies. ]
no subject
Wait, if-if she was like possessed?
[Could a ghost even be possessed?]
Influenced, and you stopped or removed or exorcised or whatever you did, why wouldn't she stay!?
[Why would she leave? Why wouldn't she tell him herself?]
What mask!?
[He's extremely confused now, but he's fixated on the fact Rex did something to her and now she's gone again. He's feeling so many things at once, some he can't name, but primarily anger and hurt and it's coming through in his voice, even if he's still crying.]
D-did you kill her? I know she's dead! But did you like- did you... What did you do!?
no subject
[ He shakes his head softly. Exactly as quiet and calm as Toki is agitated and loud. This is how he's dealt with negative feelings (and aren't they all, now?) for such a long time he struggles with other ways. Just... be worn out by them. ]
Spirits are vulnerable to outside influences and it's difficult for them to stay in our world under their own power unless they're especially strong.
[ All true, as far as he knows. The spirits he's encountered have all drawn power from some external force to keep themselves on Earth. ]
Something I have not encountered before has some sort of ability to manipulate spirits- your sister was not the only victim of it. It creates a mask and drives them to act to harm those they loved in life.
[ He holds up his hands, palms up. A grey, smokey sphere forms between them and as he moves his hands apart, it separates into two- one black and one white. That might illustrate what he didn't do, but he's not saying it's what he did. So where's the lie? ]
I know what a human spirit should be- that is enough to do what I did. But... I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough to keep her here long enough to speak to you. Or wise enough to tell you where she went.
[ Where's the lie? He wasn't strong enough to preserve the specimen. And where does a destroyed spirit go? Surely a soul is something more durable than a mere fool like Rex could ever end? ]
no subject
He doesn't know what kind of magic Rex is capable of, but Toki knows he won't win a fight against him, and he's still blocking the door. He knows he's going to die right here after, but he's at least going to try and warn White Chain something's happening. She might figure out Rex's plans, or what hes done, or at least like arrest him for murder. Toki jumps up from the floor and leans out of the tower opening, screaming as loudly as he can.]
WHITE CHAIN!
no subject
JUST DO SOMETHING YOU USELESS DESPICABLE HUMAN REFUSE ]
Don't move so-
[ He gets that far into the sentence as he stands, using the same motion of his hands pushing him up to cast a spell. One hand reduces the friction at the base of the tower, almost the only thing holding it up. The other uses telekinesis to pull out a stone he'd made a note of earlier for this exact purpose.
The crack that comes immediately before the whole thing tilts is deafening, rocking towards the open desert. He wasn't about to dump the thing on any other students, after all. Magic is Rex's forte, but he's fairly athletic- he could pretty easily carry a guy Toki's size and leap out a gap this size, float gently down and land very elegantly... if that guy Toki's size was cooperating with him.
Which he probably won't be. It's hard to keep someone in a bridal carry when they think you murdered their dead sister, no matter how tall you are. ]
no subject
A part of her wondered why it was only starting to collapse NOW if Toki had already yelled for help. But she didn't have time to follow that thought through right now.
Let's see. The building was collapsing. Toki and Rex were falling. If she angled her approach like SO and jumped HERE...
For Rex and Toki both, there was a sense of being hit by a large stone, which was none too comfortable. Then a sense of almost weightless motion while being clamped under strong, cold arms. Then a second impact as the three of them landed, a good sixty feet past the chapel.]
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