There was silence as they walked on for several minutes. Kel was
apparently
trying to let everything she'd said sink in, and Kele continued on
absently,
lost in thought. She glanced down at her own milky disc, cupped gently
in
her hand. It was hard for her to believe that this stone...this little
piece
of rock, could be of any importance at all. Much less "the most potent
of
all fates." She pondered this for a while longer, wondering what shape
Fate
would take, and when.
Suddenly Kel stopped walking and looked at the path ahead of them. Much
to
Kele's surprise, she realized that they had been traveling between two
steep, rocky cliffs for some time now. And when she glanced up ahead,
she
saw why the priestess had stopped in her tracks --blocking the path was
a
large pile of boulders. Plants grew from the cracks, indicating they'd
been
here for years.
Beside her, Kel mumbled something and started towards the formation.
"I've
never travelled this way on my journey," she explained over her
shoulder.
"...Really?" Kele wondered, amazed. She'd thought her friend was
familiar
with all the land in this area. "Why not?"
"Because the rockier course is actually a straighter, quicker shot than
this. But you don't seem very sure-footed. I didn't think you'd make
it,
especially not with your ankle hurt."
"So you chose the easier way instead?"
"Yes. I didn't realize there had been a rockslide." Kel stopped at the
foot
of the stones and started unloading some of her packs with a sigh. "The
only
thing we can do now is climb."
Kele looked up at the pile and was pleased to note that it was only
about
four times her own height. At least it wouldn't be too difficult to
scale,
especially since it had a bit of a slope to it.
The Kaeltaifan woman had by then unloaded about half of the packs from
her
back, saying she would make a second trip for them. The two friends
began
their ascent, the Yinor lagging just a few feet behind Kele, "just in
case."
But the precaution had apparently been unnecessary. The climb went
smoothly,
and after reaching the top, Kelley had gone back for the other packs,
easily
finding hidden niches to use as handholds. She quickly reached the top
again, gathering up her clan's goods. They headed over to the other
side,
where they could see the path below, clear for as far as the eye could
see.
When they reached about halfway across, though, the boulders beneath
their
feet began to tremble slightly. Another rockslide? Kele thought,
quickening her pace. It felt as if all the earth were shaking beneath
their
feet. Both girls were anxious to be off the churning rocks by this
point,
and started climbing down without hesitation. But even as fast as they
were
spurred on by fear, they weren't fast enough. They had only descended a
little ways when whole boulders began quaking beneath them.
Kele lost her grip and tumbled backwards, knocking Kelley off as well.
They
landed in a heap, cushioned only by the full traveling packs. Kele
painfully
rolled off of her friend and opened her eyes, just in time to see the
rock
formation --it seemed to be rising up, taking shape...
*
Deep green eyes sharply observed the moving pile of limestone and rock,
the
darkly tanned woman moving into a low crouch as her fighting instincts
took
over, years of training coming into play to combat what could be a
manace.
Kelley had not been kidding when she had spoken of twin omens,
believing
fully in the legends of her people, and she was quite prepared to
accept
whatever this disturbance was to be a test from the gods for the holder
of
Pellodino and the one given a twin omen.
Freeing herself of her last packs, the warrioress drew Pellodino from
its
sheath and held it ready as she watched the rocks shift and layer
themselves, forming into some sort of functional... thing. It wasn't
exactly, well, humanoid, nor was it built like the hunters of the
plains, to
be a four-legged, streamlined beauty. This thing was large, and
hunched
over, so that it could move on four legs or two. It didn't seem to be
built
for speed, but one could never be certain. Its intent, at least, was
readable - hostile. One giant limb was already sweeping at the pair
and Kel
shouted warning to her travelling partner as she dove out of the way.
Rolling to her feet, she pivotted to face the creature. "Kele, do you
have
any ideas?" she calle dout, her mind already shifted into battle mode,
where
only the strongest would survive. And she was intent that it would be
her
standing in the end.
Kele, on the other hand, found herself frozen, gaping up at the
behemoth
before her. She didn't even register the Yinor's words until the
near-numbing tingle between her shoulderblades finally caught her
attention.
She replied to the question, squeaking in fear, "Yes! RUN!!!" With
that, she
dove behind a boulder.
When she looked up to survey the situation, she was horrified to see
Kelley
standing ready to fight. "What are you doing?" she shouted, a bit of
hysteria creeping into her voice. Surely her friend wouldn't take such
a
risk? Why, she could could get hurt! Or even killed!
Her grey hair bobbed up and down as she hopped from one foot to the
other in
agitation. Her hand clutched at the stone around her neck
involuntarily.
What should she do? She couldn't think of anyway she could possibly
help,
but she couldn't just leave her to deal with that thing all by herself.
She
chewed on her lip, trying to think of something... anything.
On the other side of the boulder, she watched as Kel jumped and tumbled
out
of the rock creature's grasp, slicing at it with Pellodino.
Unfortunately,
for all her efforts, the sword was having little effect on the beast.
In
fact, it appeared it was only making the monster angry.
Not good not good not good, Kele kept thinking, her distress growing
in leaps and bounds. Isn't there anything I can do? At that moment, she heard an unfriendly rumble come from what she
assumed
was the creature's chest, and looked again to see it take another swing
at
the green-haired girl. "Kelley!" she shouted.
Jade tones snapped up, hidden in a mask of slate that reveal little,
save
the surprise of the impending strike. Years of training kicked into
effect
as Kelley brought her weapon to bear, absorbing and managing to deflect
most of the strike, such that Pellodino drove the limb swinging at her
toward the
ground, where it struck and merely rained her with an assault of
shattered
stone, rather than broken bone. Falling back with an arm to protect
her
eyes, the priestess allowed a single curse blaming the Sky Devils for
all
her current misfortunes.
The creature, in the meantime, was pulling its arm - if it could be called an arm - free of the
debris
its own strike had created, bringing to bear what might have been its
head
to stare rather stupidly at Kelley. Slow and stupid. Oh, of all the
things
the gods could challenge her greatness with, why did they chose
something
slow and stupid? It was almost embarrassing to face down this...
thing.
"Kele, remain low, and do not run. Turning your back is an invitation
for
your enemy to feast on your spine and then rip you to dishonorable
shreds
that not even the scavengers will pick from!" The sharply spoken
commands
cut through the air, the warrior coming fully into play. Ever scrap of
her
honor as a fighter was suddenly on the line, and she was not going to
sacrifice that or let her companion be struck down by attracting her
opponent's attention. This thing was hers. It was personal, now.
Howso
was unknown, it just WAS. And few people ever challenged Kelley on
anything, much less anything combat related. Those who did just did
not
survive. As she intended with this creature.
Shifting Pellodino into a one-handed grip, she assumed a lazy-seeming
stance, eyeing her shifting opponent as her other hand hung at her
waist,
holding the nearly forgotten twin omen she and Kele both shared. That
omen
was growing warmer with each passing moment, burning into her grasp as
a
coal from a fire would, feeding on her defiant energy as a warrior and
leader. It was becoming a part of her, as she stood there, watching
the
creature made of stone who desired naught but to strike her and Kele
down.
It grew to be a part of her... And her a part of it.
Clenching it tightly in her hand, Kelley drew in a sharp breath and
struck
out towards her opponent, pulling Pellodino back in a wide arc, her
mouth
opening to shout an age-old battle cry. Except no Kaltaifin curse
emerged,
but odd words that she had never heard or thought possible.
"Ninshar Primal Power, Make-Up!"
Where the words came from, she knew not, but the Yinor was ready to
point to
the gods and say it was them answering her prayers for a safe journey
that
allowed what happened next. To her, it was almost like one of the gods
had
descended to her plains and inhabited her body. A rush of power,
authority,
everything she associated with the higher powers not of the demons of
the
heavens. It all flooded through her as stone pillars rose before her,
obliterating her from her target, and the world. A scowl covered her
features as she swung Pellodino towards the columns blocking her,
hardly
seeing the sheen of energy that coated the blade, allowing it to cut
through
granite as though it were a plainsbeast fresh from death.
The stone tumbled down around the warrioress as she fell back into one
of
the more basic fighting stances of her style, her sword drawn to an
angle in
front of her. What greeted her sight as the dust settled was
unchanged, the
creature standing before her, Kele nearby. It was all the same. But
what
greeted those watching her was quite the different sight. Dressed in
an
outfit MOST unlike that of the Yinor of her people, Kelley had
completely
transformed, in every literal sense.
Standing there, ready for her first battle, was Sailorninshar.
From the safety of her hiding place, Kele let her jaw drop in
astonishment.
In all her life, she'd never witnessed anything like that. Honestly,
she
wasn't
quite sure what to make of Kelley's transformation. The priestess was
viciously attacking the beast with no apparent concern for herself.
Kele wasn't sure how long she stayed there watching the battle, but it
must
have been a while. Both warriors seemed to be equally matched in
strength.
Thrust and parry, lunge and dodge. Back and forth it went. Anana
winced
every time the rock creature came close to hitting her friend.
Kelley continued her assault, heedless of the beast's near-hits. Each
time
she moved in for an attack, she was repelled. The rock beast was much
faster
than it appeared. With each thrust, she grew more irritated. This
fight
was
taking entirely too long. They had places to go and people to trade
with!
She
looked around and noticed her young friend still cowering in the
distance.
The
frustration that had been building in her finally peaked and the result
was
a
rumbling shout at the girl.
"Anana'Kele! There is no honor in running from battle. We bear the
twin
omens. We must not fail this first test set before us. Now join me in
combat
and restore your honor! Cowards will never be blessed by the gods!"
With
that, she let out a fierce growl and ran at her opponent once more.
To Anana, it was obvious the priestess was upset with her. For a
moment,
she weighed her options, then decided she would stand better on
Kelley's
good
side. She had a feeling she would prefer fighting the monster to
dealing
with an incensed Kel.
She rose to join her friend, then paused. Before Kelley had changed,
she had
raised her stone high. If these really were twin omens, then perhaps... The stone in her hand was exceptionally warm. With hope spurring her
on,
she raised it above her head and felt, more than heard, words flitting
through
her mind. She freed them to the wind with a shout and felt a moment of
exhilaration as a warm blanket of feathers danced around her. When she
opened her eyes again, she saw the rock monster bat Pellodino out of
the
priestess' hands and move in for the kill.
"NO!" Anana shouted, running forward at last. Seeing her friend in
danger
was the kind of motivation she needed to fight. Kele ran up to the
scuffle,
not sure of what she could do to help. All she knew was she had to do
something.
"Err... Hey you! Over here!" she yelled, waving her arms frantically.
Her
ploy worked. Her sudden movement caught the beast's attention,
diverting
his attention from harming the shadow-faced warrior. Instead, the
creature
shifted directions and began chasing after Kele. "Oh no," she
muttered,
backing away from its approach.
Now there was an insult if Kelley had ever seen one; no one turned
their
back on a Kaeltaifin warrior in mid-battle. About to curse the rock
creation's heritage to that of one lower than the cursed scavengers
themselves, the warrior-turned-senshi caught notice of Kele's sudden
predicament. The young woman had rushed in to save her in her moment
of
weakness? The priestess's brow furrowed in thought for a moment,
trying to
comprehend this. When one was open to the kill, they were to be
killed.
Had she been given an opening, she would have struck down the creature
during that final strike, but aside from that she had welcomed death.
Passing on in a battle was the way a warrior was to die.
Ana'Kele's interruption had halted that dead in its tracks, turning the
monstrous creature's attention to her grey-haired form and off of the
jade-eyed priestess. That was a big mistake on so many counts.
Getting to her feet from the sprawl she had been knocked to, she
brushed at
the raggedly odd skirt she wore, curiosity momentarily flickering in
her
mind as to why she was wearing a different outfit than before. That
was
something she would investigate after the battle, when there wasn't a
creature of granite attempting to kill her and her new friend.
Finding Pellodino, she reached out and grasped the beloved limestone
sword
with a gloved hand, drawing it back into her deadly grasp. With the
sword
she had been trained to be able to use, Kelley, or rather
Sailorninshar, was
far from a fluffy gentle kitten. Fully lethal if she chose to be, she
was
armed
and dangerous; a perfect example of why the Kaletaifa were known to be
warriors rather than humble people. And she was about to give the
world
another example of that.
Rather than leaping at the creature with a war cry, the newly found
Sailorninshar held back, feeling something more appropriate boiling and
ready to be used instead. Something, she felt, that would do far more
good
than just jumping onto a rock creature and trying to bruise stone with
mere
flesh. Pellodino was shifted to a two-handed grip, the point facing
the
ground as she focused eyes darkened by the thrill of the fight on their
opponent. "Kele, stay down!" she called out, raising her arms high.
"Sacred Pillar!"
Screaming the words, her voice primal and basic in its power and
intent, she
drove the white stone sword downwards, piercing the ground with it.
With a
knee on the ground in the end and her head bowed in the aftermath of
her
strength, she looked almost to be praying to or for something.
Whichever it
was, it was clearly granted as the ground itself began to rumble, a
sharp
pillar
of stone breaking from the ground and thrusting up at the stone
monster.
The confidant smile of a warrior in triumph began to break the solemn
features
of the priestess, deep jade eyes watching as the hulk of moving stone
was
caught offguard, one of its oddly shaped arms broken off and falling to
the
ground uselessly in the strike. "Kele, strike now while it is in
surprise!"
she
commanded firmly to the other girl.
Stupefied, Kele nodded, although she wasn't sure what exactly she was
going
to do to the huge beast before her. In all honestly, she was still so
surprised to see the very earth reach up to attack the giant that she
wasn't
too concerned with what came next. Her body, on the other hand, didn't
seem
to take notice of the strange event.
She was only slightly aware of the sensation of floating or the words
pounding in her head to be let loose. She caught at them and felt
herself
reciting them, flinging the phrase out in the direction of the rock
creature.
"Anzu Phantom Talon Strike!" she shouted, throwing her hands down
towards
the wounded thing. A grey blur sped toward the beast. On contact, the
thing
made a sound of pain and two cavernous gashes appeared on what might
have
been its chest. It gave another inhuman howl and tumbled backward to
the
ground, several large cracks breaking across its surface.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed on 'O' of surprise. "Um, Kel...
Uh...
was that okay? What did I just do?" she asked, terribly confused by all
the
amazing events happening in one day.
Where Kele might have backed down, uncertain of how to handle this sort
of
conflict, Kelley was all too ready to finish the creature off.
Tradition
and law dictated that the creation of stone be killed now; it was too
weak
to survive in a world where strength was so key. Thus, with another
primal
cry, Kelley once again raised Pellodino in the air. Her jade eyes were
filled with the warrior's fury; while not animalistic, it was a passion
that
took the Kaeltaifan warrior when victory was at hand. She was in her
absolute element, the winner about to defeat to loser. Her team mate
in
this battle was momentarily forgotten as she drove again the stone
sword
into the ground.
"Sacred Pillar!"
Again the earth itself rumbled, breaking loudly in protest as one final
column of stone thrust up through the stone demon's chest. The theory
was
that the weakness was in the chest, where a human heart would be
placed;
training made that strike an instinctive one, the final blow always
directed
towards the vulnerable part. Fortune smiled upon the strike, the
piercing
pillar finding that weak point and obliterating it. With a gravelly
scream - in quite literal terms - the monstrous stone creation began to fall
apart.
Stones crashed to the ground, breaking apart and jarringly rolling to
rough
stops about their area.
Only when the last piece of new gravel had come to a still did the
stone
warrior pull Pellodino from the ground. Breathing heavily from the
exertions of the battles and the adrenaline therein, the chosen
Sailorninshar turned her green gaze upon Sailoranzu. The fury and
power
faded slowly from her eyes as she smiled in utter triumph to her
friend.
"The enemy has fallen to the sacred blade of the plains warriors," she
announced, running a gloved hand along the limestone sword in her
grasp.
"We arise in victory, as the twin omens prophesised." Extending that
same
hand to her companion in battle and triumph, she tilted her head as
though
expecting agreement of sorts.
x
