Starlight

[The Future Warrior]

It was...it was hot.

That was the single most recurring, all-encompassing thought that continued to circulate through the diminutive azure alien's mind. Sitting here, in the shade (such as it was) and yet still feeling no better than actually being out in the direct sunlight. What made matters worse, of course, was the simple fact that she had somehow or other managed to completely forget what she'd come here for at all. In true stubborn fashion, she had of course decided not to go anywhere else until she recalled just what her purpose for coming here was.

Something... Something... Following someone. Or searching for someone. Trying to find someone for a meeting. Or something. Trying to find something? Something important. She knew it was important. It was important enough that she'd ventured out here into the desert for it. Important enough that she'd managed to track down a town that didn't have a name. That was pretty hard, and she wasn't all that great at finding things. Not without some sort of convenient radar-thing to point her literally right where said thing was.

Thankfully, though, she'd developed a habit lately. Well, "lately" was a generous word. And for that matter, so was "habit". She barely remembered to do it half the time. But now and then, she did as some advice was given to her and used her scouter to take recordings. Video logs, she was almost sure it was called. Serve as reminders, and things like that.

Brushing sand off of her scarf with one hand, and carefully tapping through the holographic interface of her scouter's in-built computer with the other, she was currently checking over said video logs. Trying to find some clue about why she'd come out here to this desert.

There was a whole lot of stuff about a bunch of things she sort of remembered. Then some stuff about Dante's Abyss, which she didn't really think she'd ever forget. And...oh. Oh! OH RIGHT! Star pieces. Those things. There was supposed to be one that fell in every verse, except Coruscant. Some snooping and rumors around the dataverse were hinting that some of them had already been found and picked up, in some verses.

"But not here!" the little blue creature voiced aloud.

And she hopped up, going from sitting on her knees to standing in the blink of an eye. The old cloak she was sitting on, which was so buried under sand and errant wind-blown dust it had started to do a very good impression of a pile of sand itself, was pulled out from under her in a flourish. She tugged it up, over her shoulders, and fastened it in place. The hood came up, over her head, and after a bit of struggling with the cloth her scarf was tugged up from around her neck. A quick flipping around and re-tying and it was secured, over her face with the darker inner side facing outward. Good and safe from the sand now. Or...at least that was her thoughts. She was a simple creature that way.

Now back up, properly covered and mentally ready for the task ahead of her, Graowr turned her focus toward the part of things she was so very, very bad at. Information gathering. The...the other place, the one opposed to Coruscant and the Empire, they were also looking into the star pieces. They'd sent out some...astro people? Star scientists. People who watched stars. Astronomers! to look for clues and figure out where the pieces had actually landed.

In her own drawn-out, clueless and overall needlessly roundabout way, she eventually turned up something productive and useful. Here, right here, in the Endless Dunes, right here in the Town With no Name, there'd been a little expedition from the Kingdom spotted. Whether it was the astronomer person or not, the little bundle of blue had no idea. But the possibility that it might not be never really crossed her mind. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything else, she thought. It would be them. Or they were here with them, and they'd know where they were. That was all there was to it, in her mind.

Now it was just...all a matter of finding them.

Graowr's status as an agent of the Empire didn't seem to have won her many friends, here in this town. No outright enemies, from what she could tell (which wasn't much, the naive little thing), but definitely a distinct shortage of anything approaching 'helpful' by a large margin. Likely didn't help that she was about as socially capable as a box of glass ornaments falling down a flight of stairs.

None of that was going to stop her. None of it was even going to slow her down! They were here, somewhere in this time. And if she had to scour the entire town and check every inch of it herself to find them, she would. She'd covered a lot more ground before, and under some pretty strict time constraints, too. This would be nothing by comparison.

Although...as the sun was starting to go down and it was rapidly beginning to get darker...she sort of hoped she was right. She really, really hoped she was right. Not that she really had anything against the desert at night or anything, but... Well. This place just didn't seem like a good place to be lost in at the best of times. Especially at night. Some unsettling things that made it seem kind of spooky, even with its relative level of civilization and 'safety' compared to the rest of the Endless Dunes.

....and maybe she did kind of have a few issues with the desert at night.

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count: 952
Character Count: 5,342

[The Future Warrior]

As it turned out, the desert at night wasn't really all that bad. Kinda dark, and a little cold. A little spooky, especially with the unfamiliar surroundings. Then again, that probably had as much to do with the town as much as the desert itself. The sand occasionally blowing about in the chilly breezes and gusts was a minor irritant that made things less pleasant than they otherwise might have been, as well. Thankfully the flowing, loose cloak she'd conjured up, along with the hood and scarf over her face kept that bother to a minimum. The scouter over one eye also helped there. Being in town where the winds were somewhat set at bay by the buildings also probably helped to some degree she couldn't really put her finger on to figure out.

Even with all of that making the place less awful than she had originally anticipated, however...it was still kind of dull. The fact she was bad at searching for things the old-fashioned way didn't really help. Aimless wandering and poking around for several hours had left her a little lost and frustrated. Not to mention she was now, finally, starting to come to a slow realization.

The astronomer she was looking for was from Camelot. The...Kingdom, she thought it was also called. And she was from the Empire. Coruscant. The two were rather very strongly against each other, from what she'd managed to gather and pick up. Some reading and poking around the dataverse, and just general things she'd overheard. Didn't exactly fill her with confidence on the chances of...good odds at managing to do this peacefully. Either have to be really. really convincing, or just...not let on that she was an agent of the Empire. Maybe both. That could work.

...all assuming, of course, she ever found him. At the moment she was really just debating waiting until morning to continue her search. She didn't really need to sleep or anything, so it wasn't like she needed to take the time to rest during the night like most others might, but... A little rest never hurt. And maybe something to eat wouldn't hurt. Not that she needed food, per se, but...well. She still did get hungry just like anyone or anything else that did need to eat.

"...think I packed some stuff before I left to come here," she mumbled quietly to herself, trying to think back over her rushed preparations when she'd set out for the desert, after getting back there and resting for a while after Dante's Abyss. Had all been a bit of a blur, and not just do to her own lack of focus. She was fairly certain she'd remembered to pack some things though. Idly she pressed a hand against her stomach and pushed inward, the cloak parting like water. Clothes and her skin likewise parted, oozing and flowing around her arm as she reached inward. Feeling around her her packed and stored provisions as she idly continued her wandering. "Where did I put it...?"

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 505 // Total Word Count: 1457
Character Count -- This Post: 2,862 // Total Character Count: 8,024

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage walked down the dark and shadowed hallway with an intent focus. He did not remember why he marched so doggedly forward, but he was adamant that his goal was of great importance to reach. Sand stared to flow down the corridor, pushing past his ankles, rising until it was about shin deep. The Sage pressed forward, barely breaking his stride to account for the grains rushing past him.

His foot slid alarmingly, and the Sage stumbled, one hand sinking into the sand to catch himself. He righted himself, planting his stance as the water rose, slamming into him at about thigh height. It splashed off of the uneven surfaces of the hallway, and the Sage tasted salt in the air.

Still he would not be deterred. The Sage fought his way forward, struggling against the current of ink that washed from the dark recesses of the hallway. It flowed past him but he pressed onwards, arms raised to keep them above the pitch black swell that coated his chest and lower body.

What was he looking for again? The Sage couldn’t remember, and his steps slowed even further as the liquid slowed down, clinging to his every step. It had to be something of prime importance, but what could be worth sinking in this sea of tar?

The Sage felt the sticky black liquid surround his face as he sank below its surface, one arm outstretched, grasping futilely at the air. What was it he was looking for again?

---

The Sage awoke in a stiff cot, covered in bandages and itching with sweat. One arm was in a sling, but the Sage found it completely responsive when he tried moving it, with only a dull ache to serve to recall what was likely a broken limb. One of his legs was bound in a cast which sat propped on a wooden block above the rest of his body. He was in a wooden building, a few other cots lined the room, only one of which was occupied. The figure seemed comatose, though whether it was just asleep was hard to determine from this angle. The single window shown with moonlight, and the oppressive heat of the dunes was dulled by the night air.  
The Sage tentatively tested the foot. The muscles were stiff and lacked coordination, but the minimal amount of pain was surprising to him. He stood up, slowly and haltingly making his way towards the door. His pace was noticeably sluggish, and it took him some time just cross the small room. Given the circumstances though, I suppose I can handle a limp. he thought with a grimace.

The street outside was dark and empty, lights were hushed behind boarded windows, and the cloth drapes of closed stalls blew heavily in the wind. The Sage stepped out into the street, noticing that his cloak had not been returned by whomever had bandaged his injuries. A debt repaid more quickly than I expected then… He hunkered his shoulders against the night air, and made his way down the twisting labyrinth of buildings.

The Town had no name, here amidst the dunes it needed none. Its existence in and of itself was all that was needed to signify it. But to think that the Town was small was to make dangerous assumptions. The Sage hobbled his way through the night cloaked streets, a newly summoned brown cloth helping to obscure him somewhat from the ever-increasing wind. A fool’s quest, with a fool’s reward to likely follow… he muttered darkly to himself, I am a stranger to these parts, and I’ll not find a hiding astronomer by a simple door to door search. he needed to find a local, someone who could direct him to any outsiders who had lingered overlong.

Turning a corner he spotted a smaller hooded figure, bent over slightly rummaging for something. A night wanderer, and one who was willing to be seen doing so. The Sage approached, this was likely one of the Town’s most upstanding or notorious citizens. I suppose we’ll throw the dice, he thought wryly.

“Greetings, I seek information, which I can pay for if needed…” he spoke, trying to avoid undue attention. The hooded figure turned, and the Sage pulled up short. His instincts putting him on guard.

The blue skinned figure turned to look at him with a mildly surprised glance, one arm bent forward and residing in her midriff, evidently searching for something.

“I don’t need money. Do you have anything to eat… Hey wait!” the majin pulled her arm out of her stomach and pointed a finger in exclamation “It’s YOU!” The Sage’s eyes widened, arm reflexively moving towards the spot where a hole had been punched through his chest.
“Woah! What happened to you?” Graowr questioned, glancing over the assorted bandages that were visible under the Sage’s clothes. “You look terrrible!”

“I… took a bad turn.” The Sage muttered, trying desperately to plan his next move despite the unexpected change. What is she doing here? Of all the towns in the Omniverse… it was too much of a coincidence.

“Have you been here long?” he asked. The Majin didn’t seem to be hostile, Perhaps this wouldn’t have to be a violent conflict after all. “I’ve been having some trouble with navigating this town.”

The blue putty warrior scratched the back of her head. “Not really…” she said, with an air of slight embarresment, “I just got here. I’m looking for someone… I was told they were here in town somewhere…”

The Sage’s heart sank. Of course she was.

936 words according to wordcounter.net
5207 characters

total words for thread:2393
total characters: 13231

[The Future Warrior]

For a few short, quiet seconds that seemed much longer than they really had any business being, the old man and the alien just stood there. One of them silent disappointed, the other just perpetually and cluelessly confused.

Eventually, the Sage cleared his throat. "Well, then, if you'll excuse me..." And he turned to start on his way again.

His movements were followed by the pink eyes of the small blue creature, as her head slooooowly turned to watch him, her body remaining facing the same way until she had turned to such a point any bones a normal creature might have had would be painfully snapped. Then her attention snapped into place to catch up with her wandering mind, and she hopped into motion, a few quick bounds catching up with the old man. "Hey, hey!" If she'd been more attentive, she might have caught the faint twitch, a subtle shift to adopt a guarded posture, from the Sage. "You said you were lookin' for something."

"...yes, that is correct. Information, to be precise."

"Information 'bout what?" By now, she had fallen more or less in step beside the hooded sage, looking up at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

There was a moment of hesitation that even the azure abomination could pick up on, eliciting a faint tilt of her head as she leaned forward just slightly, trying to see past the hood to his face. "Information about...the whereabouts of someone. Supposed to be in this town, or nearby to it," he finally admitted, words slow, as if they came with great effort. "I'm finding it a little difficult to navigate, being so...unfamiliar with the area."

"Oooh." She nodded in agreement, turning to look forward again. "Yeah. This place is...it's a little strange. I only got here yesterday, and I've been kind of lost. Like this place just kind of popped up, not actually built like a real town."

The Sage cocked his head slightly to one side. An interesting observation, even if it was only so because of who it came from. "Yes...I suppose you could say as much." Pushing that matter aside, he hunched his shoulders against a stiff gust as he carried on. "Regardless of that matter... What brought you here, exactly? You said you were looking for someone."

"Oh, yeah!" She nodded again in agreement, before lifting a hand up to lightly press one index finger to her temple, gently prodding. "It was, uh...uh..." She trailed off slowly, eyes going blank. The slow, grinding turn of gears desperately creaking and trying to get up to speed in her head was almost audible. Somewhere, a desert cricket added its voice to the situation at hand, in an almost comical twist. "...something..." she muttered, faintly. Her eyes snapped back into focus. "Stars. Somebody that does something with stars. Looking for one that fell near here."

The sage had been reduced to a dumbfounded stare, watching the tiny creature rack her brains to recall such a simple fact. How...how did she function? How had she made it this long around the Omniverse? Clearly not by virtue of brainpower. Putting that conundrum aside for some other time, he briefly digested the information she had finally managed to dig up and provide. "So...they do something with stars, and are here looking for one that fell nearby..." he repeated. It didn't take more than a moment for him to turn that one over in his head, putting two and two together. "...an astronomer, perhaps?" he finally ventured.

Graowr's eyes practically lit up, nearly glowing in the dim desert night. "Ah, yeah!" She held up a closed fist. "That was it. Astronomer! Here looking for a star that fell. I'm trying to find them, so I can see if they know anything about where it actually fell. So I can find it."

The puzzlement on the old man's face was evident as he heard this, slowly turning to look down at the small blue thing. "Why...are you looking for it?"

She looked back up at him, and grinned brightly. "'Cause it was just one of seven of 'em. And I wanna find all seven."

Well, that served to answer nothing. "Why...should it matter that there were seven?"

"Good things always come in seven!" she said in response. As if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Once someone gets all seven of them together in one place, something cool will happen." Her fist clenched a little more tightly, the glove on her hand stretching taut over her knuckles. "I just know it!" A few seconds went by before she dropped her clenched fist, her free hand coming up to lightly prod at the buttons on her scouter. "And...there was this old guy I met who came from the same world the star pieces did. He wants them all gathered together, too."

Well...more than one reason. A sensible one and a completely ridiculous one. Comforting. "Well...it's good to have a solid objective," he finally managed. "As it so happens, this astronomer you're looking for is the one I was searching for information on the whereabouts of, myself." He could feel the unblinking gaze snap up to look at him as the words left his mouth. "Perhaps we could work together, on that front?" It was unlikely she would provide much in the way of intellectual help, but...if they did find the astronomer, it was likely that it wouldn't be easy to recover the star piece, if he had any idea where it was. And there was little doubt the eager little blue creature would be of help in that regard.

"Oh! Yeah, that'd be great!" Her agreement came immediately, with scarcely time to have even fully registered the words. "We could probably find him easier that way. Maybe." She turns to look up, toward the sky. "...maybe once it's daylight out and we can find someone to ask, though..."

A brief glance upward and the sage was inclined to agree. "Yes, that might...might make things easier."

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 1,005 // Total Word Count: 3,398
Character Count -- This Post: 5,700 // Total Character Count: 18,931

[The Humble Sage]

“Well.” The Sage leaned up against the wall of a building, facing the young blue alien. The aging scholar pulled a pipe from the recesses of his robe, and began searching for his pouch.
“What in the name of the Grimmest Shades of the Southern wind are you?” The Sage demanded. Graowr looked at him with an air of benevolent confusion, her head cocked slightly to one side.

“Huh? A what now?” she asked, barely after the Sage closed his mouth. The loremaster sighed, there was no way she could have processed his question in that interim.

“What are you? If we are waiting for morning then we must do something to pass the time.” He barked with a gesture towards the abandoned street around them. The Sage’s manner was perhaps terser than was wise, but he was getting tired of people opposing his progress with incompetence.

“I’m a Hero!” the Majin declared, with an assertive confidence that the Sage had not yet experienced from the blue young lady. He slumped a little. While the zeal of her response was unexpected given his prior interactions, the answer was not as enlightening as he had hoped it would be. hold the hand of your friend, but the arm of your enemy. Until I know where you are aiming my little azure fighter, I cannot forget that…

“…That’s fair enough, I suppose. I wouldn’t doubt that the winner of Karl Jak’s game would be anything less.” He said, watching the majin’s face carefully.

Her features were muted, as if an immature diety had attempted to create their own likeness, and had decided not to get a second opinion. There was no nose to speak of, no eyebrows, barely anything to even read emotions from. Still he could tell from the shattering of her prior stance, and the slight slump to her posture at the mentioning of Dante’s Abyss that the fighting had taken its toll on her as well.

Not emotionless then… and with your degree of power…perhaps you are a hero indeed… he mused to himself. The Majin’s far away gaze refocused on him after a moment of recollection, and the Sage refocused his attention on the conversation.

“You wanted me to kill you.” She stated, drawing the Sage back towards his own dealings with the Abyss, “You were so close to being dead already before we even started that fight. You could have just given me the artifact and been fine.” The large red eyes bored into him, the face as difficult to read as always.

“That was a cruel thing to do.” She pronounced after a short silence. The Sage didn’t have a good answer to her accusation. She stood there with crossed arms, staring at him.

“I was spiteful.” He said, eventually, moving to sit on a low wall that had seen better days a decade ago, “I had just seen a small girl barely into her second decade get her throat torn out by a supernatural monster. I had never expected to survive in a tournament of killers, and I had chosen to take that path. I cannot imagine that she was told the whole truth about what she was getting into.”

“We were always meant to be entertainment. A blood sport for the most all-encompassing coliseum imaginable. I did not expect them to be training lambs for the slaughter. The powers at hand looked on and did nothing as a young girl was devoured. All in their desire for unadulterated bloodshed. What right had I to deny them the final moments of a half dead old man? We were there to fight, so I fought.” He shrugged. It was a petty response once you said it out loud, but he wouldn’t choose differently now.

The majin didn’t seem entirely satisfied with the response, but didn’t choose to press him further on the matter, just shrugging to herself and glancing skywards.

“Its still not daytime yet.” She stated, impatiently.

tremendous power yet a child’s temperament. Oblivious as a puissant scholar, but able to play my nerves well enough to illicit a speech…
The Sage shook his head.

“I don’t think that will be the worst of our problems.”

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 702 // Total Word Count: 4,100
Character Count -- This Post: 3,893 // Total Character Count: 22,824

[The Future Warrior]

Predictably, the actual meaning of that phrase sailed right past the edges of the majin's awareness. The faint whoosh as it slipped right over her head was almost audible. Slowly, her gaze dropped down from its skyward cast to look curiously at the old scholar, watching him fiddle with his pipe. He had finally managed to locate whatever it was he had been searching for, though what he was up to was beyond the capacity of the diminutive azure creature to worry or really put much care into. "What do you mean?" she finally ventured to ask, tilting her head just slightly to one side.

A few moments of silence followed, the Sage just looking ever so faintly amused. "Oh...think nothing of it," came the eventual answer. "Just call it the passing thought of an old man, if you must."

The result of that was several long, silent seconds full of an unwavering, unblinking stare leveled straight at the old man. But it did seem to satisfy the alien girl's curiosity, as she eventually nodded. "Right. Okay then!"

She turned away, staring out into the streets and watching all the nothing that was out there. Eventually, however, as seconds dragged on into minutes, and those minutes dragged on into whatever came after minutes in timekeeping (she had never really been too sure; it was probably hours, but she had never really been too sure), she started to get restless.

The Sage had, for a time, occupied himself with just idle thought, and further questions. She was a hero, but that was what she did, not precisely what she was. What about an answer to that? And other such things. Why had someone of her demeanor and attitude joined such a bloody competition as Dante's Abyss to begin with? The answers that came forth were...something less than fully illuminating.

She was a majin, that much she was able to answer clearly enough. In her homeworld, it was a word which apparently meant demon. Or simply 'magical', in some circles. She wasn't really all that knowledgeable in terms of history and things like that, which wasn't really much of a surprise, but from what insight she was able to offer, her entire race, such as it was, came around a long, long time ago, from a creature known as Majin Buu. He got lonely, and split himself into two halves to make a wife. And their descendants spread and grew, into the eventual numbers and race that she was. Or...something like that. Basically some kind of magic alien demon, as she summed it up helpfully.

The explanation of why she had chosen to enter Dante's Abyss was much shorter, and came while she chose to balance on the corner of the crumbling wall, standing on one hand. Despite the worn, uneven purchase of the wall, and the sand making it a precarious prospect at best, not to mention the gusting wind, she seemed to manage it without trouble. Almost seemed natural for her.

She revealed it had been...more or less a misunderstanding. She hadn't really read all the rules, or looked into it as deeply as she should have. That it was even supposed to be a death match at all, she had managed to mostly miss, much less some of the finer details.

Such a revelation left the Sage absolutely flabbergasted. This...this creature was completely clueless. Watching her now, carelessly going through a routine of one-armed, handstand push-ups, only to hop up and switch to the other arm without trouble, and see the expression (such as it was) on her face, though...it was entirely too easy to believe it. She had just legitimately failed to get the full picture. Eagerness, more than a lack of intelligence, as she'd certainly realized the weight of things by the time it came down to the final confrontation over the last piece to end that entire ordeal.

By the time all was said and done, much time had passed, and faint traces of daylight were beginning to show. Just the faintest glow on the horizon, traces of pale violet and red breaking through the deep blue and black of night.

"Well...arduous as that entire experience was, it looks like our wait is over," the Sage noted, turning to look along the deserted street. "Perhaps soon we can see to making some actual progress in our search."

"Oh, hey!" Graowr planted both hands on the wall and pushed off, springing into the air. A quick flip and she landed on her feet, tugging her hooded cloak back into place. "That didn't seem like it was all that long at all!"

The old scholar just shook his head. "Yes...how time flies..."

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 784 // Total Word Count: 4,884
Character Count -- This Post: 4,432 // Total Character Count: 27,256

[The Humble Sage]

Dawn brought with it a revival to the town, along with a glaring ball of fire that made the Sage squint as he moved through town. There would be only a brief window of time before the sun’s heat became oppressive and people would move back indoors. The Sage started to move, in search of the early traders who would be setting up shop. Graowr hopping off of the bannister with a display of casual ability that always left the Sage feeling oddly defensive.

“We have a short window… uh… warrior?” he paused, but did not stop moving, I have been so preoccupied with what she is, I have barely scratched the surface of who she is… and that will likely in the end prove more pressing… sloppy!

“It occurs to me that I know even less about you than I had thought. How do people label you?”

“Huh? Someone stuck a label on me?” the majin’s neck extended unnaturally, seeking for the supposed sticker. The Sage rolled her eyes, but supposed he should have expected her interpretation to be literal.

“No, your name. If we are to be allies in this endeavor, I cannot be calling you a melted blue candle.” The Sage spotted a merchant who seemed to be setting up a display of imported cloths from Ambrosia.

“Oh my name is Graowr” said the blue alien nonchalantly, and the Sage bit off asking her to spell it, for both their sanity, “What’s yours?”

“unimportant, call me Sage if you need one.” He said, realizing how quickly this topic could go sideways.

“What? That’s boring! Why don’t…” Graowr started, but the Sage pointedly raised his voice to address the merchant before the conversation went further.

“Excuse me sir!” The Sage called out, and the reptilian looked up in alarm at the interruption to his daily routine, “have you perchance any information on an astronomer who has recently moved into this town?”
“Wait, you’re looking for an astronomer too? Neat!” Graowr commented, eliciting a slight sigh from the Sage, and a cursory stare from the reptilian. Very gecko-like now that I look at him the Sage thought as the merchant sized the two primes up before replying with a slightly cocked head.

“What’sss it to ya?” came the voice, sliding in pitch with a dry rasp. The Sage was expecting this, Graowr was hard to mistake as anything but a prime, and even his own attempts to lay low would probably still be noticeable to anyone who could see the numerous bandaged injuries that the Sage seemed to be more or less ignoring. He concentrated for a moment, and a shard of pure Omnilium manifested into being in his hand. He offered it to the merchant, who took it quickly and glanced unblinkingly towards the majin with expectation. For her part, the blue alien returned the stare with complete incomprehension.

“Information now?” the Sage asked, with mounting impatience, there had to be easier ways. The Gecko’s head jerked back to face the Sage, and Graowr gave a slight whoop of victory.

“There’sss an assstronomer holed up three doorsss down from the mayor’sss housse. Last place he’d exccpect and all that… Roland’sss not too keen on him. Sssays he’ll bring Imperial trouble. Ssso far all he’sss done is buy thingsss though, so bugger ‘m I’d ssay.” The Gecko started to appraise the two primes with a renewed interest. Clearly cloth wasn’t the only thing the creature found a commodity.

“Yes. Thank you” The Sage said brusquely, and pulled the majin away by the arm. He only hesitated a moment when the putty creature’s limb stretched abnormally before Graowr noticed and started to follow him.

“So we know where we’re going?” she asked with evident excitement. Was she not even listening to the conversations? Externally the Sage only nodded, and moved through the streets of the Town. In the back of his mind, he mulled over the trader’s words. He could not be certain, she carried no visible symbol, but he believed that Graowr was technically under Imperial pay, and whether ignorant or no, assisting her in this task might end up being detrimental to his own plans in the future, and trying to steal away with the artifact after the fact seemed ill informed…

It was a puzzle that he would have to align, and soon, but for now he simply had to find the star piece to begin with. Spotting the poorly kept shack that Roland’s people referred to as his office, the Sage made his way to the door of the building that the astronomer was supposed to be staying at. The Sage continued past it and turned to face Graowr, hoping mostly in vain that his explanation was going to leave much of an impact on the alien.

“Alright listen carefully. This is going to be a delicate situation. I have a forged document from another of the astronomers that we can use to get our foot in the door, but this astronomer is from Dalaran, and has spent almost a year on the very edge of Empire-controlled locales. He’s going to be apprehensive and stressed, and knowing our luck he’s going to have seen you punch a whole through my chest on the Dataverse and be very suspicious. Whatever you do. Do not tell him you are an Imperial agent, understood?”

Graowr stared back at him lackadaisically her mind clearly vacant from the conversation. He almost considered trying to leave her outside for the discussion, but knowing her, that would only lead to an inopportune discovery. The Sage could only hope for the best. He cracked his neck, composed himself, and pushed open the door.

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 949 // Total Word Count: 5,733
Character Count -- This Post: 5,344 // Total Character Count: 32,600

[The Future Warrior]

Really, she just didn't get why this guy was so jumpy and serious about everything. She'd already planned to not say anything about being affiliated with the Empire, that just seemed silly, when dealing with someone who was from that place's sworn enemy. Or something like that. She might have been a little slow, but she wasn't dumb. Really.

And the whole worry about this guy having seen them fight before, what was that about? Fighting wasn't really all that uncommon. Besides, given the circumstances at the time, it didn't really seem like it would be that big of a deal for someone to know about. It had kind of been a big, unpleasant ordeal all around. Death tournament or something, after all. She didn't really want to think about it much, but it was what it was. They'd fought, and then the thing had ended, and they didn't seem to be on hostile terms anymore.

It was how she'd ended up making a lot of friends before, really. Less of that whole 'to the death' part of those fights, but still. Same thing really, right?

Regardless, she opted to make one of the smartest choices she could have under the situation, and leave all the words and talking to the Sage. He seemed to have a more decent handle on this whole business, anyway. Following him through the doorway as he pushed it open, she peered around curiously. Rather...unimpressive, but then again she didn't really know what to expect in the first place. What she did know was that there was more in here than just the astronomer. Even without her scouter she could sense them, and for just a moment it put her on edge, making her hesitate. People around that she couldn't see...maybe just helpers or something, maybe people intentionally hiding to spy or something. Maybe just bodyguards for the astronomer, he had been well out of his element for some time now. She tried to shake it off, and focus on the important business.

Specifically, the business of the astronomer they'd finally managed to find. She tuned back in just in time to see the man in question in the middle of an introduction with the Sage, looking a bit...nervous, and tired. Given the hour, the tired part was understandable, for people who slept. The nervous part, well...yeah, maybe that one was expected too.

"The Humble Sage, is what I am called," she distantly heard. "...and this, is my...traveling companion, Graowr," the Sage spoke up, loud enough for her to hear, and for it to pre-emptively jar her out of her another mental wandering.

She raised a hand in a wave in response to her introduction, earning a very pointed stare from the Astronomer. She could feel it boring into her, studying her intently. It sharply swung back and forth between here and the Sage, first once, then again. "So, you two...work together? After that run-in you had in that Dante's Abyss thing?"

At the mere mention of it, the majin's shoulders drooped a little and her expression dropped. "That...that was..."

"That was just part of the event," the Sage cut in. "That was business, of the sort that was at hand. And so is this, business of the matter at hand. Both looking for the same thing, and two pairs of eyes are better than one." The offered explanation hung in the air uncomfortably heavy for nearly a full minute, the Astronomer staring pointedly at the old man before he broke off, heaving a sigh. "Yes, yes...I'm sure...even primes need a helping hand now and then, I suppose. Especially out in a place like this."

He ambled off, muttering darkly to himself, before shaking his head to get his thoughts in order again. "Bud Dupree," he finally said, turning around to face them again. "Astronomer, from Dalaran. Though I think you already knew that." The look in his eyes suggested he already knew the answer to what was about to pass his lips, but he spoke it anyway. "And what brings you here?"

By now, Graowr had completely forgotten her initial intent to just remain silent and let the Sage handle the business of talking. Before the old man could make a response, she piped up. "Lookin' for a star piece that fell here!" She tapped at her scouter, pulling the information back up. "They fell in...all but one verse. I was supposed to meet someone else out here, but think I missed them, and I decided to try and find the one that fell here, since I was already here."

The Sage managed to stifle the disgruntled and somewhat irritated sigh, managing to force out his own response over it. "And I'm here to help in locating the star piece as well. I ran across this one..." He gestured at the majin. "...by coincidence, and here we are." He rummaged around for something, pulling out a small bundle of papers. "I have this, from one of your colleagues. They suggested I come here, to assist."

Oh, right. He did have that. Maybe she really should have just stayed quiet.

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 855 // Total Word Count: 6,588
Character Count -- This Post: 4,803 // Total Character Count: 32,059

[The Humble Sage]

Bud Dupree poured over his forged letter with a more studious glance than the Sage had been hoping he would. More and more the Sage was growing concerned that this encounter might not work out in their favor. His eyes darted around the room, noting the astronomer’s study. If they needed to make a quick exit, that desk would have the most useful information. Bud was still dwelling on the letter, and raised a finger to prevent the Sage’s interruption. He felt it prudent not to pressure the obviously agitated man if they were going to have any sort of cooperation.

The astronomer went over to a drawer and began rifling through papers with intention. Graowr’s neck started to stretch slightly as she tried to see what the astronomer was looking at. For his part the Sage was assessing the astronomer’s hidden defenses. There were at least two bodyguards in the back room, and he thought he heard the sounds of another below them. His eyes scanned the surroundings for a trapdoor, and though he could not find one there was a promising peephole at the base of one wall that could easily be shot from. Bud Dupree clearly wasn’t taking chances when it came to his defenses, which made sense given how long he had been hiding on the Empire’s doorstep.

“It’s quite fascinating.” Bud said at length, his back to the two primes as he held a piece of paper up to the light. The Sage said nothing, his own paranoia growing to match that which clearly possessed the astronomer.

“What is?” the majin asked next to him, seemingly oblivious to the shift in the conversation’s tone.

“The seal is definitely Jad’s, and the handwriting isn’t even half bad a copy...” the astronomer began, and the Sage tensed, Blast! Which of us does he think is the more dangerous target? He thought desperately, eyes straying towards the door and foxhole.

“I assume you don’t know this, but Jad’s not found his piece yet, and he certainly didn’t see your sorry behinds recently if you’ve been playing with Karl Jak. I’d ask you what you want, but I can smell the imperial stink on both of you.” Before the Sage could intercede, Bud whirled around, a revolver in hand and a shot rang out towards the bibliomancer.

“I got it!” Graowr called out excitedly, her arm stretching to catch the shot. Her speed was as astonishing as ever, and her arm intercepted the missile. Her own face changed from glee to confusion as she retracted the arm back, noticing that the limb had been encased in icy shards.

Spells from a pistol? The Sage thought as he whirled to face the approaching bodyguards, I suppose disguises should be layered… the two elves rushed into the room, one with sword and shield, immediately closing with the Sage, while the over interposed between Dupree and Graowr, a pair of strange gauntlets connected by wires to a large tank on her back.

The Sage found himself too busy to shout more than a brief warning, as the elven swordsman attacked with precision and without mercy. Strike after strike was barely turned by his dueling cane, as the Sage worked his way around the room. One second's glance towards the peek hole confirmed as he had feared. The barrel of an ornate shotgun glinted from the darkness of the hole.

The Sage took a harsh strike across his back and left shoulder as he leapt away, clearing the room as he dove towards the foxhole. His hand erupted into flames as he neared, slamming into the wall and reaching his flaming fist into the hole, searching for the weapon’s owner. His fingers found hair, and he snagged a handful, hearing a cry of panic from the would-be ambusher.

He retracted his hand a moment later, as pain flashed along his forearm from the dagger that had been jabbed in defense. He didn’t have time to follow up though as the bodyguard closed shield-first, bodyslamming the aging man into a shelf full of books and stacked jars. Four against two is not our best choice of odds… the Sage thought wincing as he rolled away from the followup sword thrust. Black ink leaked from his forearm, where a disturbingly large gash had been sliced. He could smell burning hair however, so the Sage could only hope that he had at least disabled that foe for now. Instead he simply had to overpower an armored elven warrior with an oaken walking stick.

Simple, right?

[The Future Warrior]

For a good few seconds, Graowr just stared at her frozen limb in abject confusion. She didn't get long to try and ponder, or get the cobweb-shrouded gears turning in her head, though. Just as she was fully registering 'that was a gun, and he shot it, and now my hand is covered in ice', an armor-clad fist collided with the side of her head. There was a dull, almost comically hollow thunk and her head snapped to one side, taking her body with it.

Rather than just wind up completely floored by the surprise blow, natural instinct kicked in. She rolled with the impact, hitting the ground, curling  and tumbling over and with the aid of her non-frozen arm she sprang back upright. "Wow...that was a pretty good hit!" One cheek was still caved in and dented from the blow, her neck leaning at an angle that would have definitely been broken in anything with actual bones. With a quick snap, she righted her off-kilter head, and shook it to pop her face back to normal, now sporting a grin. "I dunno why we're fighting all of a sudden, but this should be fun!"

The elf who had clocked the majin just scowled. "Fun? You think this is fun?!" she seethed, launching herself at the comparatively tiny prime for another heavy blow. Gauntleted fist met only empty air, making her overbalance and stumble half a pace. Eyes went wide as she processed what had happened, seeing the azure abomination now in the air over her head, already flipping forward into a fiercely spinning kick right for the back of the elf's head.

There was a flare of light and heat, and the elf was gone in the blink of en eye, several paces back from where she had been. Graowr's strike had hit the floor instead, smashing through the flooring and leaving her in a patch of fiercely crackling blue fire. Wisps and faint trails of the blue flame trailed over the floor to where the gauntleted fighter that had produced it now lay, small traces of it flickering and swirling about the gauntlets themselves. As she got back up to stand properly, she squared off into a proper fighting stance as she quickly moved to put herself between the majin and the researcher.

In the meanwhile, Bud was busy scurrying about to gather his research notes and materials together and prepare for a quick retreat. Revolver still in hand, and antsy glances thrown toward the fighting in progress, but he was more focused on his task.

"Alright! So you do have some tricks up your sleeve!" Graowr said, more than a little enthusiastically as she wrenched her leg free of the flooring. "That's awesome." And she brought one arm back, slowly spinning it as if to loosen the joint or wind up to throw something. "Then it's time to get serious!" And throw something is exactly what she did. A punch. Her arm stretched like the rubbery stuff it was, rocketing across the room. It collided with crossed arms covered in steel, producing an audible clang from the impact. The force of it threw the bodyguard off balance just slightly, leaving her only barely ready to react further as the little blue terror zipped across the room in the blink of an eye, retracting her stretched arm to bring her other to bear.

Fist met fist this time, with a wave of blue fire washing out over Graowr as the gauntlet which crashed against her belched forth a plume of it. She grimaced, her features pulling back into a silent growl that showed her teeth. "That...hurts..." she said quietly. "...fire is...awful." There was a brief clash where several blows were traded on both sides, before it was the diminutive demon that ended up sprawled out on the ground, covered in fire so thick it shrouded her from view almost entirely. Her opponent had fared slightly better, only sporting a few bruises and a heavy dent in her gauntlets here and there.

For a brief second, that was how it went. Four against two looked like it had devolved into four against one, for just long enough that the elven warrior turned her attention away from the seemingly fallen prime to deal with the old man. It was an opening which the little blue demon fully exploited. She went from laying on the ground, burning, to on her feet and a blur of motion in in the blink of an eye. Both arms wrapped around the elven bodyguard at the waist, coiling into a tight deathgrip. The elf sputtered in surprise, trying to wriggle free, but her efforts were cut short as Graowr, displaying surprising strength, lifted her completely free of the ground. Things went topsy-turvy for the elf as floor became ceiling and ceiling became floor, finding herself briefly upside down in the air. Then there was a shuddering impact and a harsh crunch as she met the floor head-first, courtesy of an unexpected ride on the suplex train.

To her credit, she was back on her feet quickly. Dazed and unsteady, now bleeding mildly from her collision with the floor, but still ready to fight. For her part, Graowr had finally gotten into the swing of things. The fire was mostly out, only a few flickers of it here and there to still be seen; just some burns and scorch marks on her clothes and exposed skin to show for it. Blazing around her, and casting the entire room into shades of fluttering pink, her aura flared and danced much like the fire her foe spat out everywhere. Briefly, the majin turned aside, looking toward the Sage and his fight, raising her voice over the scuffle. "How you doin' over there, old guy?"

"Fantastic!" he wheezed, frantically whacking aside his foe's sword only to be met with a shield impacting his face.

"Great!" He definitely had it under control.

All word/character counts according to wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 992 // Total Word Count: 6,554
Character Count -- This Post: 5,549 // Total Character Count: 41,876

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage reeled backwards from a sweeping blade and sprung away from the elven warrior. Graowr seemed to be doing just fine with her foe, At least, well enough that she’s feeling boastful… And the sniper hidden in the floor seemed to at least have been put out of commission for the moment. Bud was gathering up his notes though, and looked like he was about to make a break for it. I will have to suffer through a less than optimal outcome to avoid loosing track of our objective it seems. He turned his retreat into a reckless counter attack, battering the elf with blow after blow, trying to pummel him into submission, or at least knock the weapon from his hand for a chance at respite. The warrior’s discipline was impeccable however, and he weathered the blows safe behind armor and shield. this isn’t working. I need to make a change, and fast, before…

With a sickening splelch the Elf riposted, his finely wrought blade sliding between the Sage’s ribcage and into one of his lungs. With a desperate instinct the Sage dropped his cane, hands grabbing hold of the elf’s wrist before he could withdraw the blade. The Sage twisted with both hands, prying the blade loose from his foe’s grip and drove into the elf, managing to overbalance the armored warrior. The elf crashed to the ground and the Sage staggered back the other direction, hands clutched to the blade, vainly trying to hold his ink black blood in place. In retrospect, this will work I suppose. His lung had not yet fully collapsed, as his ink blood desperately tried to seal the gap. With a grimace, and an unsatisfactorily shallow breath, the Sage pushed himself off of the wall and staggered after Bud as the Astronomer fled the room.

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Graowr cried, but her question turned into a cry of surprise as the second bodyguard leapt at her from behind, attempting to put the blue majin in a headlock. The Sage almost chuckled to himself at the elf’s confusion, as Graowr began to simply squeeze when the elf applied pressure. The tactic would have worked on most foes, but here it was not going to be sufficient. If you rely on one tactic for too long, sooner or later it’s going to end up being your demise. sure enough, Graowr stretched upward through the headlock, turning as she did so, the majin pummeled one fist and then the other into the elf’s exposed face, dropping the shocked warrior to the ground with a metal clang.

The Sage didn’t see what happened next, as he followed the Astronomer out into the back-alley Bud fired off a bolt lightning, but his aim was poor and the Sage barely needed to dodge as he followed. He was already starting to adjust his breathing, despite the blade still stuck in his path. Hmmm, there’s really no pretending this is natural at this point… I should probably check this out once things settle down… Up ahead, it seemed that Bud had taken a wrong turn, and ended up in a dead-end alley. The astronomer leveled his revolver, the notes they needed bundled under his other arm. The Sage moved to a stop at the end of the alley, still slightly out of breath from the blade protruding from his chest.

“Alright, Bud.” The Sage huffed, “If that even is your real name, in which case you have my condolences. You strike me as a rather intelligent man, working for Dalaran, and whatnot…”

Bud eyed his surroundings, revolver still aimed at the Sage’s chest. “Who ordered the hit? Are you working for the Imperials? Whoever is behind this, you’re all going to regret this day, even if you get away with it!” he warned. The Sage shook his head.

“Too soon, too soon! You shouldn’t be making those kinds of threats yet. You make threats when you have no other course of action, Dupree. It’s a last resort, a bluff when you have nothing to back you up. Maybe you know that, and maybe you’re trying to goad me into recklessness, who’s to say? All I know is that your revolver allows for six shots before you must reload, and you my friend, still have one more spell in the chamber.”

Bud said nothing, but his grip on the revolver tightened and he swallowed slightly, all the proof the Sage could ever need.

“So instead, we should be asking a different question,” the Sage slowly advanced as he spoke, watching the astronomer carefully, ready to act at the slightest response, “does that one spell you have left, possess enough power to stop me? I’m a prime, and as you can see…” he pointed to the blade still lodged in his lung, “I can take some punishment.”

He continued to close in on the astronomer, dueling cane held easily in one hand, present, without being overtly menacing, “Now it’s possible that your spell will be enough. It could disintegrate me on the spot, and even if it can’t do that, I could be quite near to my limit, virtually blacking out where I stand. Or…” and the Sage made sure to heft the cane a little bit as he said this, “I could be only one spell away from beating you to within an inch of your sheltered little bookworm life.”

“Your choice, Dupree. Do you drop the revolver, or do you take the shot?”

The Astronomer struggled to keep his nerve, the end of the revolver shaking slightly as he kept it trained on the approaching Sage. He’s going to shoot. Blast it! the Sage thought, trying as subtly as he could to grab hold of the revolver’s chamber with his magic. He watched the thought process play through in Dupree’s face, the man would be a terrible cardsman. then at the very moment the astronomer resolved to fire, the Sage yanked the chamber sideways with his magic, wrenching it open and spoiling the shot.

Dupree cried out in alarm as three blinding blows of an dueling cane struck his neck and head, before he crumpled into a heap. The Sage bent down and collected the astronomer’s papers, then looked up as the metal clanking announced the astronomer’s bodyguard drawing near. The elven warrior rounded the corner, a serrated knife held in one hand. The Sage pointed at the blade still in his chest.

“Were you looking for this?” he asked nonchalantly.

The elf gave a cry and charged, while the Sage scooped up Dupree’s revolver and fired the remaining shot. A coursing rainbow of colors shot from the end of the pistol, washing over the elf and causing him to cry out in alarm. He stumbled back, but looked down to find the only lasting effect was the utter destruction of his color scheme. The Sage looked at the revolver in disappointment and chucked it away before struggling back to his feet.

“Why can’t things ever just work themselves out without me? is that so much to ask?”

I forgot my totals last post, so there may seem to be a jump in the total values here...
word count: this post-- 1186 total= 9525
character count: this post --6599 total= 52,744

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage’s breathing was labored and purposeful, as he fought back the red haze that was overwhelming his senses. The elf settled into the crouch of an experienced knife fighter, the elven mail barely hindering the stance. The Sage tried an experimental poke or two, the elf staying cautious of his longer reach. The elf was still remarkably skilled with his weapon, even bereft of his blade of choice. Even that simple an assault left the Sage feeling spent and off balance. He struggled to maintain his composure, knowing that his foe would pounce on any sign of weakness. He would have to time this attack precisely, because he was quite confident he wouldn’t be able to make another one. A single exchange to triumph or perish, all the schemes and plans come to naught here in the end. Success or failure, born of skill and intuition despite himself, a smirk of anticipation crept across his pain-twisted face.

“Well, then.” He said with a clear effort. “Have at you, Elf!” and thrust the dueling cane forward. The elf attempted to deflect the blow, but a mistimed swipe pushed his weapon back and away. Strangely the Sage’s foe leaned into the strike, a sharp jab of the dueling cane, above the left lung. The Elf stopped suddenly, arm outstretched, even through mail, the strike would be painful. but not lethal? Surely it’s just a stick, is that your thought? The Sage pressed the hidden button within his cane’s handle, and the Elf jolted in shock. The hidden blade had torn straight through his mail, and the elf started to collapse backwards, face already paling. I am sorry that you have been misled to such an end, elf. You fought with the skill of dedication.

The Swordsman fell back, with torn mail above a bleeding heart. Yet the Sage’s remorse was ripped from his soul by the extreme pain that assailed him. As his eyes spotted into nothing, he glimpsed the elf’s sword in his hands. It had been removed during the exchange, and now the hole surged with inky blood. The Sage stretched one hand out, searching for the wall to lean against, but toppled over on his side instead, cane dropped at his side and hand’s clutching futily at the wound. Distantly he heard his ruptured lung attempting to pump the inky-blood that was leaking into the hole, but already he was too far gone to think anything about how he should stop it. He also heard a familiar voice, crying out in fear and dismay, but his failing mind could not place it.

A pyric victory then? I do wonder how dying will feel…

[The Future Warrior]

It took Graowr all of a few seconds to disentangle herself from her fallen opponent, but they were a few very irritating, confusing seconds. Even as she crumpled in defeat, Dupree's bodyguard had an iron grip. More savvy eyes than the majin possessed might have noticed the gauntlets had gotten snagged together, the flame-projecting tubed tangled and wedged against one another. It kept the hold relatively tight, keeping the tiny blue one from simply wiggling free as she might have otherwise.

By the time she finally freed herself, she had managed to completely shred what remained of her cloak. It had been charred and burned during the fight, but was still recognizable up until that point. She had also successfully managed to ruin the delicate mechanisms of the elf's gauntlet weapons, mangling the fuel lines and spray nozzle....things. But they had also been forced apart and freed her.

She did the elf a courtesy, waving a hand in front of her eyes to check for awareness. When there was no response, she nodded and bounded across the room and toward the doorway the astonomer and the old sage-guy had gone through.

She barged out the door and into the back alley just in time toppling over, falling to the ground in a mess. Her eyes went wide at that, with a concerned "Hey!" and she hopped and skittered toward him, kneeling down next to him. "Uh....you don't look so good..." She waited a full three seconds for any semblance of a response before she frowned slightly and her concern elevated. "Hey, seriously, come on. You won, you shouldn't be just..." She paused, just trailing off while trying to think of what to actually say. Shouldn't be just laying there? Seemed kind of mean, all things considered. Lots of times, back home, the winner of a fight had wound up way worse for wear, and could barely manage to stay conscious, let alone do something silly like keep standing.

Especially not when they're been skewered and battered as much as this old guy had. He was made of some pretty tough stuff, even she could tell that much, but from her limited understanding of what it meant he was still human. Sorta. Maybe. She was almost positive humans didn't bleed that color. In a thought that most would consider morbid, her mind briefly wandered to a refreshed memory. First time she'd actually seen a human bleed, and seeing how bright red it was, almost like candy...

She made the same face now as she had back then, just from recalling the taste. Not bad per se, but definitely not candy. Took her off guard. And whatever it was the Sage was oozing from that nasty stab wound it sure wasn't blood. At least not normal, 'look at me i kind of look like candy' red human blood. Definitely not. And she was also definitely not going to try and taste it this time. That color of icky black only tasted good on a very, very, very small number of things.

With a force of will, she tore her mind from wandering food-related thoughts and back to the moment. She poked and searched around, finding that most of the notes and papers that the astro-guy Bud had tried to take with him were in the possession of the old sage already. She took great pains to carefully search and grab everything up, and store it all in one bundle. She would have tried to organize it into some sort of order, but... Well, anyway, it was all together now, and it was safe. More than she could say for her old ally.

With the papers sorted, she collected the Sage's cane, and then the Scribe himself. Despite her diminutive stature, she hoisted him up with ease, only having trouble finding an effective way to carry him given the rather stark difference in size. She eventually managed it, the old man slung over her back, and then she was off and moving. Where to, she had no clue whatsoever. At least not as far as the complex, specific answer went. But the simple answer, at least, she know; it was was 'away from here'.

And 'away from here' is precisely where she went. Completely oblivious in her flight of the attention she might have garnered, cutting a blazing streak of deep pink across the sky. Her aura was a hard thing to miss against blue sky, especially at this hour of the day. Still, the only benefit was how quickly it faded, only a second or two behind her. Which way she was headed was easy enough to tell; where exactly she was going, though? Not so much. Doubly so because she had absolutely no idea herself.

* * *

It had been somewhere between....ten minutes and a few hours. Or so she thought. It was honestly pretty hard to tell. The clock on her scouter said it had been closer to the few hours mark. Long enough to get well outside of town and away from the immediate vicinity of any prying eyes. And once there, she had settled down to try and think over what to do next. That, and let the old...book....writer...guy rest. That wound of his didn't look like it was doing him any favors, and could probably do with some kind of attention.

Which really did put things in sort of an awkward place. She was pretty far from a doctor. About the furthest thing from it, in all honesty. Back home, this wouldn't really have been a problem. Could just use some healing beam or something like that. That was definitely a thing she'd done on a couple occasions.Of course...she wasn't back home at the moment. Like a lot of other things, she'd kind of sort of forgotten how to do that here.

....maybe not 'forgotten', exactly. She remembered she'd done. Remembered how she'd done it. Remembered how to actually do it. But just...couldn't do it. At best, she could sort of make some light that just flickered and sputtered like a dying candle. Not exactly what she was looking for. Which left her only one alternative.

Research.

Boy was she bad at it. Not only did her less than stellar awareness and ability to actually navigate the sprawling and twisted complexes of information that comprised the dataverse hinder her efforts, her own remarkable ability to get distracted did anything but help. What should have taken all of a few minutes ended up taking the better part of an hour. By which point, she had noticed, the Sage's wound itself had begun to lose some of the ugly and 'this is probably gonna kill him' look it had once had. Graowr could only assume that was a good thing, even as she carefully followed the directions for the newly summoned item in her possession. Medi-gel, or something like that. Looked real weird, like nothing she'd ever really seen before. Buuuut it was supposedly good for wounds and stuff. So it should help.

When it was all sorted, and she was reasonably sure things weren't going to get any worse, she took care to situate the old man in the shade, and seated herself on the top of the rock that provided said shade. With one problem taken care of, time to turn her limited attention toward another problem.

She fished out the papers from the astronomer, and set about doing what she had thought it might be a good idea to do before. Carefully, very carefully; slowly, very slowly; read and look them over, and try to organize them into something that made sense. Slow going, to be sure, but it seemed like the thing that made the most sense at the time. And it was something to do to pass the time, and wait for the sage to wake up.

He seemed like he'd be better at this sort of thing anyway.

Adjusting how this is all kept track of. All word/character counts courtesy of wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 1,323 // Word Count (Graowr): 6,416 // Quest Word Count: 11,389
Character Count -- This Post: 7,327 // Character Count (Graowr): 36,016

And for Sage, here's your totals separated out, using his last post for numbers:
Word Count -- This Post: 445 // Word Count (The Humble Sage): 4,970 // Quest Word Count: 11,389
Character Count -- This Post: 2,497 // Character Count (The Humble Sage): 27,728

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage opened his eyes with genuine surprise, though the garish sun of the Dunes and the stark reminders of his body’s pain quickly mellowed his excitement at returning from the Astral realm to a living body. He struggled into something of a sitting position, noting that Graowr seemed to have taken them away from town, a good way to lie low while they made sense of Dupree’s notes. With a grimace he glanced down at his injury, although the expected inkblood was there the Sage also noticed a strange paste had been applied to the wound. He touched a finger to it and held a dab of the gel closer to his face. It might be an attempt at a disinfectant, though applying it to the surface certainly implied it was supposed to work as a binding agent… He almost asked Graowr about it, but she seemed to be intensely studying the notes Dupree had taken.

Gelvar grant that we have all of them, I doubt we’ll have a good reception if we try to go back. He thought. The Majin’s whole attention was focused on the paper in her hands. She was staring at it so determinedly that the Sage initially assumed it was a map, until he noticed her forming the words as she read through them. He supposed it was not surprising that the astronomer’s notes might be challenging for her to parse.

“How are we doing?” he asked, shifting forward painfully and crawling towards the Majin. She shook her head, still muttering the words under her breath. Placing a finger onto the page to keep her spot, Graowr looked up.

“I’ve been trying to sort his notes for HOURS!” the majin complained, “but it doesn’t make any sense! He keeps jumping all over the place, and I can’t keep track of what he’s talking about. I’ve been sorting the pages so that they all make sense, but I haven’t figured them all out yet.” She leaned backwards in frustration, neck bending so it now looked directly behind her. After a moment she straightened back out. “Are you feeling better?”

The Sage nodded and glanced at the now deconstructed journal. “If I may, this is something I have far more experience with than you are likely to.” Graowr shrugged and gestured towards the pages stacked under various rock paperweights. The invitation to help was clear enough. He cracked his neck and began summoning a desk and arm chair. It was time for some good old fashion scholarship.

---

A passerby might have found the scene fascinating. A solid wooden desk and leather-backed easy chair sat in the shadow of some nearby cliffs, an old bespectacled man pouring over loose-leaf papers and the books that he had convinced Graowr to collect from the Town with No Name. The process had taken several hours, as Dupree had found clairvoyance enough to keep his notes in code. As it turned out Graowr’s sorting had been more helpful than she likely knew, but after the Majin’s patience for research had reached its limit, she had left the rest to the Sage. Fortunately, she had been willing to make a trip into town to retrieve an atlas of the dunes, Such as they had. The records of routes in the Dunes seemed entirely concerned with finding safe routes through the vastness, with little concern for proper cartographical rigor.

Still, by triangulating the records Dupree had gathered of the star’s descent, along with the locations of various watch posts and mining facilities, eventually the Sage felt confident enough that he knew the direction they were to head. It was a disheartening distance from civilization.

Graowr leapt down from the top of the cliff, having just finished whatever training regimen she had been going through up there. The blue being stretched, which gave the Sage pause, since he had seen her bend in ways that were impossible for anyone with a standard anatomy. How could someone like her even feel stiff to begin with? He brushed the question aside and leaned back in the chair, finishing the rest of his no longer refreshing tea.

“How’s the bookworming going?” she asked with genuine interest. It was clear she was running out of ways to occupy herself out here.

“I have an approximate course, certainly enough of one to get started. We’ll need to create some transport though, my best estimates of the star pieces location will be a good week’s journey, even on horseback. I don’t relish the idea of making such a trip on foot, since I don’t doubt Bud will be forced to mobilize after the star piece himself now.” He said, collecting his papers and books into a more manageable bundle. He considered extracting the desk and chair, but after some though decided to leave it in place to confuse some poor wayfarer who found it. The Majin turned to face him, her expression blank and matter of fact.

“Horses are fun, I guess.” She shrugged, “But if your worried about the trip taking too long we could always fly.”

Thanks for sorting out the totals for this, I gotta remember to actually keep track of my posts…
All word/character counts courtesy of wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 1,323 // Word Count (Graowr): 6,416 // Quest Word Count: 12,238
Character Count -- This Post: 7,327 // Character Count (Graowr): 36,016

Word Count -- This Post: 849 // Word Count (The Humble Sage): 5,819 // Quest Word Count: 12,238
Character Count -- This Post: 4,780 // Character Count (The Humble Sage): 32,508

[The Future Warrior]

Summoning things was, as always, an exercise in patience and concentration that Graowr sorely lacked. It was hard to keep her focus on something that she couldn't see happening in front of her. The fact it took minutes at a time even for the smallest and simplest of objects didn't... It didn't help at all, really.

She had had entire fights that lasted less time than what it took to do something silly like use this Omnilium stuff to summon up a baseball!

Not...not that a baseball would really be helpful in the current situation, y'know, but...

...what was she doing again?

The disgruntlement of the Sage was almost palpable as he reminded her for what had to be the fourth time. The excitement and curiosity with which she regarded what might possibly be a one-way trip into the inhospitable reaches of this mass of sand and heat was exhausting, and it showed on his features as he doggedly struggled along with the seemingly boundless energy of the child-like abomination.

When they finally got underway, it was the old scribe leading the way. He had eventually given up on it and resigned himself to summon two horses, somehow getting the feeling the majin didn't even know how to spell horse, much less properly summon one. At least not one suited to surviving a long trip in the desert, at any rate.

"So it's gonna be about a week, you said?" she finally spoke up after an inordinate amount of time somewhere between five minutes and two hours. When the old man gave his affirmation that that was indeed what he had said, she just cocked her head to one side, lapsing into silence for another sequence of minutes. "How can you tell just from reading over the notes and stuff?"

The sigh that answered her was one of being tired, not exactly of being frustrated. "I can't tell with exact precision, of course. Just some estimations based on the notes and charts that Dupree drew up." He halted his speech as a sharp gust ripped across the sand, trailing a wall of grit and heat behind it. "...the angle of the star's descent and his theorized point of impact, and his own explorations and charting of the area to form an idea of its size. All things which point to a rough outline." He looked back over his shoulder at the diminutive demon. "So it is just a guess, you see, but..." He trailed off, seeing that his companion wasn't even looking at him.

She was in fact staring rather pointedly off to the side. Seated cross legged astride the horse she'd been given, arms crossed over her chest, and a ragged cloak to keep out the worst of sun and sand trailing behind her. And her head turned nearly ninety degrees to her right, eyes staring unblinkingly at something in the distance.

"What are you looking at?" the Sage finally asked, craning his neck around to peer in that direction.

"Lizard," she answered simply, shifting an arm to point off toward the horizon.

Even with her pointing it out, it took almost a minute for him to finally spot it. A titanic thing, the size of an elephant, or even some vehicles that prowled the Omniverse. Dull beige colored scales and hide, letting it sit in plain sight among the sand and rocks, the shimmering hazes of heat during the day making it almost invisible at any real distance. "Yes, it's...certainly a lizard, alright," he spoke up. Though really it looked more like some kind of dragon, given its sheer size. "What's so interesting about it?"

"I think it's a predator. It's been watching us." She nodded to that, as if it should be obvious and turned back to face him. "But it's lazy. If we don't get any closer it should just go back to sleep."

"Yes..." The Sage just adjusted his posture and hold on the reins of his horse. "Let's just leave it be, then." He turned back forward, reminding himself it wasn't just the inhospitable terrain and lack of water that would be dangerous on this little excursion. The Dunes were chock-full of predators, both from the animal kingdom and more humanoid threats.

"This place is weird," the majin supplied, as she craned her neck around to sweep their surroundings. "All this sand and space, and so empty. Barely find anything alive..." She trailed off, tilting her head and snapping an arm up to tap at her scouter. Leaning over to one side and looking toward the sand she gave a thoughtful 'hmmm' and slowly tilted back upright. "Well, above the ground, at least! Plenty around here alive. Just hiding out of the sun, I guess."

"An astute observation," the old man responded, with a brief nod. As amusing as her antics could be, and her general clueless state, there were some occasional moments of surprising clarity. And even such simple observations could prove useful. Reminders that threats wouldn't always be so kind as to come from a direction you could easily see were never in profuse enough supply.

"Hey, hey." She leaned forward in the saddle, hands both planted securely on the horn. Her eyes blinked once, then again. Only when the old lorekeeper craned around in his saddle to look back at her did she continue. "What, uh...whats 'astute' mean?"

He almost laughed at the question. Almost. Instead, an amused sigh left him as he turned back to face front. "It means...being sharp. A clear ability to accurately assess a situation, in short," he supplied. And he swiftly held up a hand, index finger raised to forestall the inevitable followup question he knew was coming. "In this instance, 'sharp' refers to being quick, with rapid perception or comprehension. Not like the edge of a knife or other blade."

"Ooooh." The azure creature nodded to that, leaning back to right her posture again. "That's like some kind of smart person compliment."

"Yes...yes it is," the Sage agreed, hunching slightly in the saddle, returning his focus to their long, load road they still had to trek.

"Smart people use funny words." With that pearl of wisdom, Graowr lapsed back into silence again, staring off into the hazy mirages of the distant dunes.

Word Count -- This Post: 1,047 // Word Count (Graowr): 7,466 // Quest Word Count: 12,436
Character Count -- This Post: 5,933 // Character Count (Graowr): 41,949

[The Humble Sage]

The scholar and the majin rode in silence for several hours, their shadows stretching tall against the sand as they rode forward. Graowr was now lounging on the back of her horse, a feat of balance that the Sage was quickly realizing the majin did not comprehend about herself, staring up at the first evening stars with a wide-eyed interest. The Sage wondered at her thoughts in passing, but was too absorbed in his own musings to press her. If she had something pressing to speak about, she certainly wouldn’t hesitate to mention it, he would let the silence have its chance for now.

The dunes presented a kind of peace that was in precious short supply here in the Omniverse. Moment to moment, rushing straight into the fray without time to consider or prepare, it was slowly but steadily sapping the Sage of his fortitude and wits. The encounter with Dupree should not have devolved that quickly, a deal could have been made, a scheme to pilfer the notes undetected if nothing else. The Sage’s hands were no cleaner than the next dealer in antiques and artifacts, but even so that had been handled tactlessly. A book to help you find yourself. the Sage thought with a rueful chuckle, Advice that I need just as much as the chapel-eyed girl it seems…

The darkness swept over then quickly, as if it had been anticipating light’s retreat, and the stars sprung to life with a radiance no Coruscant resident would ever appreciate. Graowr was still staring, and the Sage found his gaze turned equally heavenward as they travelled further, grateful for a distraction from his own self-reckoning.

“Do you think one of those is home?” Graowr asked after a while, not bothering to clarify the number of possible interpretations the statement held. Her horse nudged its way in front of the Sage’s mare, allowing the two to speak without having to turn awkwardly.

“Well as far as I am aware, the stars here in the Omniverse serve only to provide the illusion of  a larger reality. That they are more simply plastered upon the ceiling far above us. A much more… impactful story of Icarus, as it were.” Graowr’s look was as nonplussed as the Sage’s own thoughts on that answer.

“That’s dumb.” She pronounced, “That’s not how stars and planets work at all. You can travel between them if you go fast enough.”

“Really?” the Sage’s own eyes were wide now, as implications sprung up like weeds, “Dupree’s notes had mentioned some theorization on a so-called ‘space verse’ that stretched between the other verses. He proposed that the gates we utilize now merely shorten the distance between physically isolated locales, and that it might be possible to gain access to otherwise inaccessible places in the process.”

“Like where?” the majin asked, sitting up now, and leaning forwards on her hands though she was still riding her horse backwards,

“The Void and the Oververse spring immediately to mind…” the Sage answered, “Though if his theory is correct it could explain the existence of the so-called pocket verses, such as… er, the realms that Nebula was said to have spawned from, for example.”

“Does that mean that Void place is a planet?” Graowr seemed skeptical at best, and without knowing Dupree’s sources the Sage felt poorly prepared to defend them. It might be best to abdicate this position for the moment.

“To me the verses had always seemed more in tow with the concept of differing planes of reality than differing planets. The Underverse in particular harkens a shift in a non-spatial design, as does the design for the banishment circle…. I wonder if Omni’s decision to…” The Sage was now wholely lost to scholarship, his voice reverting more and more to mumbling, heedless of Graowr’s disinterest, until she spoke up again some minutes later.

“Do you think that the only things out there are the Verses?” she asked, loud enough that The Sage looked up from his notepad, and a feverishly scribbled alignment of the verse-planes.

“Perhaps, though I don’t know that there is much point to the discovery beyond academic reasons. The verses provide us with everything that the hale young mind could seek. All for the sacrifice of our queit evenings? I consider the bargain well struck in our favor.” The Sage shrugged, eyes straying towards his notepad again.

“But if you could get back to your home?” Graowr retorted, bringing the subtext of the conversation out into the open at last. The Sage frowned, scribbling out a diagram with mildly excessive force.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to stay.” He said without pausing or looking up, “Though we primes have been… blessed? Cursed? Let’s just say chosen, shall we? With knowledge of our former existences, there are many people here for whom the Verses are all they have ever known. Do they not deserve an equal share of truth? I burned many bridges in my youth, I was angry, and in my spite, I closed many doors I would later regret. By the time the years granted me the befuddlement that I have come to term wisdom, my name was reviled by far too many of my peers to pursue any hope of truth.” The Sage looked up at Graowr now, and though his tone had some bite, his eyes seemed more sad than embittered.

“Here I have been given a second chance as it were, to pursue truths that were otherwise hidden and allow others a share in that truth. This world is little more than a decade old by every account given. I stand in the unique position of fulfilling an impossibility for my field, the entirety of the Omniverse’s history lies waiting to be told, without the claws of time entrenched within their stories. I can record it all.” the greed may have shown through slightly too much in the Sage’s eyes, because Graowr didn’t say anything in response, just nodding slightly to herself and turning around to reassure her horse.

The steed whined, but its unease was still quite evident. The Sage frowned, noting his own mare’s flicking ears and listless glances. The Majin twisted her head around to face him, and their eyes met, thought’s in agreement.

Something dangerous was nearby.

All word/character counts courtesy of wordcounter.net
Word Count -- This Post: 1047 // Word Count (The Humble Sage): 6,866 // Quest Word Count: 13,285
Character Count -- This Post: 6011 // Character Count (The Humble Sage): 38,519

[The Future Warrior]

The scent of danger had made Graowr sharpen her attention and focus, turning quickly back around to face forward as soon as she'd confirmed with the Sage. "Something out there...somewhere," she said plainly. "What do you think it is?"

"Something dangerous, of that much I have no doubt." The old man slowly turned his head this way and that, scanning the area and horizon with a careful eye. "But what it might be I confess I have no idea."

The majin shifted in her seat and sprang up, standing in the saddle as she peered around intently. "Dangerous, huh..." That much was obvious, even to her simple mind. Out in a place like this, danger had a certain way of presenting itself that just made it impossible to miss. Especially when it was such a bloodthirsty feeling as was being put off by whatever had managed to sneak up on them now. Bad enough that it was really disturbing the horses, in the way that Graowr instinctively realized on some deep, hidden level of her mind, could only be done by a predator. Something that preyed on them, and just the mere presence of could raise up that deep-seated, primitive fear of 'you are going to be eaten' in the mind of any creature.

...well, almost any creature. Something like a majin just didn't have that ingrained reflex. Trying to eat them was a mostly futile effort to begin with, so that fear just wasn't there. Majin were the ones that did the eating, not the ones that got eaten, so they could still recognize that intrinsic, underlying sensation from a lifetime of unintentionally inflicting it on other things. A hungry majin was a terror and a half to behold, after all, even if you weren't directly in their warpath and potentially on the menu.

As her eyes scanned the night-cloaked dunes, though, none of this actually went through Graowr's mind. Nothing so complex, in nowhere near as many words; it was a much more simple understanding of 'bad things want to do bad things'. To them, possibly their horses, possibly both.

Under her, her horse veered off as it neared the ascent of a dune just ahead, ears flicking as the beast let out a snort and disturbed whine. She flailed, her balance thrown off at the sudden panicked movement, and for a moment she precariously teetered on the verge of falling face-first into the sand below before catching herself.

"I think that gives a clear enough idea of where the source of our horses' trepidation is," the Sage spoke rather flatly. "I think that means we should--"

He was interrupted by a sudden blast of wind and a stinging flash of blue and pink as the majin went from dumbly flailing and fighting with gravity to being airborne and streaking toward the dune at top speed. "Deal with it!" she shouted, voice loud and excited. "I got it, don't worry!"

The old man just lifted a hand to hold down his hood, scowling at the obnoxiously energetic demon as she disappeared over the crest of the dune. "Not at all what I had in mind..." he grumbled, moving to nudge his steed to skirt well around the dune in question. "But it should provide a decent enough distraction, all the same." He casually leaned aside and grasped for the reins of the abandoned horse, frightened more than slightly by the majin's abrupt ascension.

Atop the dune, Graowr crashed down to land, throwing up a heavy cloud of sand as she did and throwing aside her concealing cloak. It wouldn't do anything but get in the way now, and there wasn't even any real need for it without the heat of the day and fury of the sun to worry about. Or so she assumed, anyway.

Her aura blazed around her like a bright flame, washing the sands under her feet in a deep pink hue. She didn't even need to turn to her scouter to figure out what the source of the danger was here. It was right there in front of her, among a tumbled jumble of rocks, and staring at her with luminous red eyes. Lots, and lots, and lots of eyes.

It was such a bizarre sight that for a moment it left her dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed at it. "It's...it's a..."

Below, the Sage had only gotten halfway around the dune when there came a sharp, whistling whine in the air and the sandy ground in front of him exploded, a plume of sand filling the air with a cloud of grit and making both horses rear and scream in fright and protest at these working conditions. "G-Gah!" He abandoned his hold on the reins of his impromptu partner's steed, clutching at those of his own with both hands to try and maintain his seating.

As the sandy aftermath of the impact cleared and blew away, the source of the chaos could be seen, sitting at the end of a deep trough carved into the ground and ending embedded several feet below the surface, only her waist and below jutting out of the pile of sand and dirt.

"....are you enjoying yourself?" he called out in frustration. "This hardly seems like the time for games."

There was a muffled mumble in response, as the majin regained her senses and the brilliant pink aura returned as she forced herself free of her sandy prison. "BWAH!" She flopped back, seating herself in the ground and spitting out a mouthful of sand, hastily wiping and swatting more of it from her face and hair. "Not playing!" she managed after a minute. "Giant scorpion!" She looked up at him, and then past him, her eyes going even wider than usual against all odds. "Lot of them!"

"Giant...scorpions?" the old sage repeated in puzzlement, slowly turning around in his saddle to get a clearer look at what she was on about. He was just in time to see them, swarming down from the crest of the dune among a wall of dust and sand. Scorpions, the smallest of them the size of dogs and the largest one easily eclipsing the size of the horse he rode. "....ah, yes. I see. We should--"

"Knock 'em all out!" the majin cut in again, leaping back up to her feet and readying to spring into the fray.

She didn't get far, before a surprisingly taut grip on her scarf elicited a sharp choking sound from her as it arrested her momentum, plopping her back down into the sand. "No! We don't have time to fight them!" The muscles in his arm went taut and his voice strained as he hauled the diminutive demon up out of the sand and hurled her overhand at her horse. "We run! Fight them if you have to, but only to get them out of our way."

She flipped and flopped through the air, landing on her back in the saddle and nearly sliding right off before catching herself with a grip on the reins and flipping around to plant her seat in...the seat, as it were. "That's no fun!" she huffed indignantly at the retreating form of the Sage as he spurred his increasingly frightened horse into moving. "We could totally handle these things!" she wailed, angrily spurring her own horse to get moving, just in time to avoid the thunderbolt of a stinger that a scorpion had been trying to introduce her to.

"It isn't about fighting!" the old scholar hollered back. "Lest you forget, we should be in a hurry. There's no telling how long it will take Dupree to start mounting a pursuit, or how quickly he will move when he does!"

"....oh. Right." That took just a little of the wind out of Graowr's sails, so to speak. She had completely forgotten about that. Now that she'd been reminded, though, she leaned forward in the saddle, her expression twisting into a determined one as she spurred her horse more intently forward. "Then we should hurry!" she announced as she caught up to the old scholar and passed him entirely, prompting him to just scowl and spur his steed onward to a full gallop across the sands to keep pace.

If they both survived this absurd quest it would be a miracle.

Word Count -- This Post: 1,388 // Word Count (Graowr): 7,466 // Quest Word Count: 14,871
Character Count -- This Post: 7,588 // Character Count (Graowr): 49,537