The Calm Between the Storms (Attn Kura)

[Tigara]

Stupid, good for nothing Ardicus! What in the name of the Great Lord is he doing recruiting in Saldea? The blasted fool can't even Skim! The I have to waste my precious time to come and fetch him since I'm one of the few stationed in the Fortress who can Travel!

 

Tigara continued his mental muttering as he romped throught the deep, Saldean snowscape. His heavy furs already had clumps of ice frozen to it. At least the wind had stopped howling. The wind made it seem twice as cold and made him thrice as miserable. He was a Taraboner! He liked it warm and humid!

 

He finally made out two, humanoid shapes in the distance and within a few minutes, they met. That fool Ardicus and a very exquisite looking young fellow. He was saldean, but different. Pale with blue eyes? Odd, but it didn`t matter much to him. Just another meat puppet. He eyed the two cooly with his green eyes. `Well, are you two ready to go?`

Tigara Kazim

Dreadlord

[Kura]

Darial approached the Tarboner, observing his misery with a bit of concealed humor. Southerners... The saldean mutt didn't answer when this stranger spoke, choosing to let Ardicus speak for him "Only if you are ready to leave, it is a wonderful day out." Ardicus' tone was devoid of humor, but his eyes lit up with laughter. In the short time that the two had been traveling together, Darial had learned to read him quite well.

 

He heard the newcomer mutter under his breath, and suddenly a vertical slash of light appeared in the air, and rotated. Where once was snow covered field, now a huge fortress, judging by the warm air coming through, somewhere far to the south. The two walked in quickly, and apprehensively, Darial followed. Walking further into the stone castle, he waited for someone to explain what in the Great Lord's name was going on here.

 

Patience however, was something that his father had taught him. So, he stood there, in the middle of a castle proper, trying very hard not to look like a wide eyed scarred little boy. He had no idea how well he was succeeding.

[Tigara]

Tigara led the new boy through the Fortress after Ardicus had to go attend to his "business". He was probably going to try to flirt with Shana again. If he's right, then some sort of explosion will occur shortly. And it would be amusing. And Tig would laugh.

 

On thier way to the rooms, Tig suddenly stops and asks the boy "What's your name? The fool told me nothing!"

 

Tigara Kazim

Far too tired to write anything better. :P

[Kura]

Darial followed the southerner, keeping his face neutral as he did so, and matching his pace as he was sped through at a lunatics pace. Still, his mind cataloged all the things he was shown to him, making sure to note the more important areas as they nearly jogged by them. Mess hall, courtyard, class rooms, and finally dormitories... He decided he'd spend a day or two wandering the halls, familiarizing himself with the area.

 

Abruptly, the man spoke to him. Answering quickly, he spoke a single word, "Darial." He didn't ask the man's name in return, to be frank he seemed a bit to agitated for pleasantries, and that thought nearly brought a smile to the mut's lips. The little Tarboner couldn't handle the cold...

[Tigara]

Tig eyed the boy who seemed to be holding a smile back. What did he find so funny? He'd fix the boy. He could be funny. "Darial, eh? Hmmmm, that's unfortunate. Well, for you at least. You see, we don't accept people whose names start with D, P, or V. So, if you'll follow me, please. I think it's Ban'Sheen's turn for feeding."

 

By sheer force of will, he did not smile, smirk, or grin the whole time. That would have ruined it. He eagerly awaited the boy's reaction.

 

Tigara Kazim

"Funny"

[Kura]

Darial was not amused. In fact, he felt the icy rage flow up into his chest at the man's impudent speech, and once again he was filled with that chill, deeper than any Saldean winter. He whipped his wrists, knowing that this power would be yet again unleashed. "You will not-" His self righteous scream was cut short with a wince. He felt the power ripped from him.

 

Glaring up, those icy blue eyes still managing to promise death. Despite his size, despite the fact that his power was taken from him. The man returned the stare. Taking a deep breath, Darial thought. Wait... Ardicus had known my name, and he did not seem one that would go through unnecessary trouble... His rage nearly doubled as he realized what had transpired here.

 

"You were trying to trick me." His voice was filled with the wind's of his northland. Low, with an icy bite that bit to the bone. Darial was surrounded by more of these bullies, these arrogant fools who thought him inferior. No! He would get this one as he got the others! No one would ever walk all over him again!

[Tigara]

Tig grinned a bit as he slipped a shield between Darial and the Source. So this one has a temper, does he? That can be a great strength or a great weakness. With great interest, he watched the boy's face nearly turn beet red with anger.

 

"You were trying to trick me."

 

"Why yes, yes I was. The Fortress is rather dull and I needed some form of entertainment. And just so you know, trying to channel at a Dreadlord unbidden like that, it's against the rules. The Peace of the Shadow rests over the Fortress. That means, no one here tries to hurt another unless they have a suicide wish. Got it?" Tig waited for some form of acknowledgement before continuing on.

 

"Now, since you've been introduced to all the necessary places, I suppose you should scurry off and get some shut-eye. Tomorrow we have a big day of saidin lessons. Right after the morning meal, meet me outside the front door into the courtyard and come prepared."

 

Tigara Kazim

Teacher of small, corruptable minds

 

OOC: Just post your evening thoughts and then end off meeting me the next day and we'll continue on with lessons. ;)

[Kura]

Darial put this man high on the list he kept in his head of everyone who had wronged him, which directly translated into those who would find themselves at the wrong end of a intelligent, spiteful mind. Still, now was not the time. This man held to much power over him. That, however, would one day change. The saldean mut suppressed a grin as he walked off, inwardly laughing at the fact that this southerner would give him the tools he needed to overthrow him. It was moments like these when his paternal heritage truly shined...

 

Finding his rooms to be...quaint, he let out a long suppressed sigh. I'd best get used to it... No telling how long I will be here. After stripping out of his winter gear, that sigh turned to a breath of relief. He'd been burning up; the transition from Saldean winter to the blight was rather severe. Furthering the cooling process, he splashed some water from the wash basin onto his face, grateful to his new master that it was in fact cool water.

 

His temperature temporarily sated, he once again looked over the room. The reality of how far he'd come in just a few days was finally striking him, this being his first time to sit and think. He had killed a horse, a man, run from his home, sworn his soul over to the Dark..Great Lord, he corrected himself mentally, and was now in a place very far from his home, where he was told he would become a male channeler. He sat, not trusting his legs to support him with so many realizations hitting him. Taking a calming breath, he laid down, running through the calming exercises of imagining what he would do to all of those who had wronged him. He knew he'd need such serene thoughts to aide his slumber this night...

 

And so, he quickly fell asleep.

 

---

 

He woke up... oddly rested. He'd expected to to sleep terribly, but the small tremor of glee at finally escaping that damn ice pepper farm had apparently countered his other thoughts. Rising, he did his best to wash up, running an ivory brush through his raven locks. He set the task of replacing the small on yet another list he kept, clouded mirror that had been provided. He rather liked looking his best, something both parents had bred into him. Besides, when in the presence of those with a disheveled appearance, when you yourself looked absolutely pristine, it made the task of looking down on them that much easier. A task the small man garnered much pleasure from.

 

That done, he made his way out to the mess hall, taking stock of all of those eating with him. They varying levels of personal grooming, quality of clothing, and all the different races of people was rather disorienting. He was from a small town, and there was at the top of the social ladder... Here he had no idea where he stood. Eating quickly, he decided that establishing his place would be yet another thing to do, after doing his best to map out this forsaken place. First however, he made his way to the courtyard.

 

Unsurprisingly, Darial arrived before the southerner, and was forced to take another calming breath. The saldean added yet another offense under the man's name on his list of grudges.

 

He had the feeling it wouldn't be the last entry by the time the day was through...

[Tigara]

Tigara watched the boy wander into the courtyard, obviously irritated. He smiled. This one would be all sorts of fun. Letting go of his weave, he became visible once again, sitting on a bench a few feet off. "It seems you can read a clock. Very good. That will cut you down one lesson."

 

Standing up and walking over to where Darial was, he began his lesson. "First off, you are a male. Not only a male, but a male that can channel. Most people tend to run screaming when they see you or anyone of similar kind, but not here. Here, we teach you how to most effectively serve the Great Lord. The most effective way you can do that is by having me, or someone like me, teach you the basics of combat, espionage, and infiltration. To start off, are you able to grasp the Source at will?"

[Kura]

Darial gritted his teeth at the man's words. "Why yes, my father managed to fit that in between teaching me how to plant ice peppers, and dance at the local inn." His tone was quite literally dripping with sarcasm. As Tigara continued, his mood only darkened. Yes, he knew he could channel, now he just needed to learn how...

 

"No, I can not seize Saidin at will." He grated at the weakness, but this one promised to remove it... Darial supposed everyone had some redeeming qualities. Maybe if he did a fine enough job the impudent half-breed would even remove his name from his great list of slights.

 

Wouldn't hold your breath on that one though.

[Tigara]

Such anger this one has. Such a cold, raging anger. He didn't need a Foretelling to know this Saldean's temper would get him in trouble some day soon. Unless....

 

"Well, then I guess I'll have to show you. First, you need to picture a flame. Just any old flame. One that's just floating around in a sea of darkness. Close you eyes and imagine. Next..."

 

Tig couldn't help but smirk. He could just imagine the boy trying to shove his anger away.

 

"Next, you have to feed you fire. What does it want? It want your emotions. You have to feed everything into that flame. Your anger, your joy, and everything around you. All that's left is just you and the flame."

 

He paused a moment, letting the boy try. "Once you acheive that statem you will suddenly feel more aware of your surroundings. And then, you should be able to see a light, just out of the corner of your eye. When that happens, you need to reach out to it. Try it."

[Kura]

Darial's eyebrow arched at this man's request. He was to feed himself to a flame? That... that was not expected. The man's earlier joke sprung to his mind, he wouldn't do so again, would he? Gratingly, the saldean knew there was only one way to find out. Closing his eyes, he pictured a flame in his mind.

 

He began to feed everything into it. His joy, his sadness, his fear, all of it. His anger though, gave him trouble. That frozen shard of hate refused to be melted by such a puny flame, and so the mutt redoubled his efforts, force feeding the glacier into an inferno. It gave way slowly, every so slowly. Though eventually, the half-breed found himself floating in a void, aware of every sensation as it touched him.

 

The hyper-awareness of the heat almost sent him into a fit, but he controlled himself, feeding that too into the flame. He searched within his mind, and looked for the glory of Saidin. Finding it before to long, those spectral pianists fingers grasped for the light within his mind. It was like trying to catch the rain! He tried again and again, after every failed attempt having to reform the void as his anger shattered the delicate concentration.

 

After what must have been a half hour of franticly grasping for the source, he felt himself filled with a molten chill, freezing him to ash. Atop of which was a vile taint, more putrid than the refuge of a thousand horse stable. It forced bile to rise in his throat; and he forced it down. Despite it all though, Darial felt alive. Colors were more vivid, smells sharper, all of life flowed into him.

 

A slow smile crept over his face, and he looked at his teacher. "I've done it dreadlord, what is your next lesson?" He noted the emotionless tone he spoke with, and a laugh fed itself to the flame as he thought of it. He could get used to this...