The Vision of Light (IC) Continued

[Jade_Tarem]

"Aww, that's nice of you to say. Though, please note that there isn't just the one Wyld Hunt; some of them probably did... something to inspire the stories, though mortals tend to blow things the Chosen do out of proportion." She frowned into her pitcher before brightening, pulling out a flask and dumping the contents in before swishing it around. After trying it again, she nodded, satisfied. "There we go. So, Titus, what made you decide to give up a life of lifting purses and pursue service to Anistasis? Mind you, she's friendlier than most gods, but it still seems really out of your way."

[Astro_sol]

Titus

"Ah, I don't doubt you're all perfect, just like I don't doubt some Solars suck. We're all people, you guys are just fancier." He took a swig, mulling over her question. "Well, after the city fell, I tried meeting up with my old gang members, but they either died in the city, got captured, or just scattered. I saw my family to Shadowholt, and a friend there told me about the temple. He didn't...mention any of the specifics," another swig, "but he said he had friends there and that it'd be good for someone like me. I thought he meant me trying to reach the peak of my strength as a mortal, but maybe he just wanted me to get laid after all the death and whatever. But they have been helping me at the temple as they can, but no one's tried to come onto me beyond mild flirting yet. And they're more on about training your body and mind than you'd think for a bunch of fertility monks."

[Jade_Tarem]

Yoma raised a pink eyebrow. "Why would he send you down here when there's perfectly good-"

A roar, two roars, three interrupted her, and not metaphorical roars either - the sound was unearthly and strange, wrong and not-wrong, all at once. Screams could be heard at the edges of town. Faster than Titus would have believed possible, Sky and Dunes were out in the square, with the former already helmeted. He scanned all around, apparently seeing something that Titus could not. "Essence Signatures Southwest, South, and East. Yoma -"

"Don't ask twice. I can handle one."

Dunes nodded. "Alright, then, take the East disturbance and pacify or kill it. Don't die."

"I'll make a note of that." With no further ado, Dunes darted off down one of the avenues, his footsteps sending tiny tremors through the ground. Sky, by contrast, was up and on the rooftops with nearly supernal grace, despite the bulk of his sophisticated-looking armor. Yoma turned to Titus. "Stay here, unless... *how* close to the peak of mortal strength are you? Up for taking on a big, bad hellbeast?"

Spoiler

Show

Roll Valor, or don't to take her up on the challenge.

[Astro_sol]

Titus

This was a bad idea and he knew it. But his damn man instincts wanted him to show off to this Dragonblooded lady. "Pretty close to it," he said, his grin turning feral. "I'd be happy to join you."

Idiot.

[Jade_Tarem]

"Hunt's on, then!" Yoma wasted no time in dashing East toward the disturbance. There, however, she skidded to a stop to size up her opposition - and what opposition it was! Though humanoid, this creature would never be mistaken for a common human - standing nine feet tall, with cloven elk-feet, two elk-heads complete with an impressive array of sharp, sturdy antlers, and covered in muscle, fur, and more muscle, this creature sized up the town around it like it was all for the huge being's taking.

"That... is new." Yoma said. "Wyld animal, has to be -"

"Takes one to know one, party girl." The creature cut her off, hefting a massive, double-bearded axe in one hand and a two barrels of unidentified goods in the other.. "Care to join me on my way out? I was just looking for souvenirs." Until this day, Titus had not known what an elk-smirk looked like. Now he was seeing two.

"Oh, well, I'm flattered, but you know what they say: once you go Dynast, you'll only take the finest." Despite the cavalier rejoinder, Yoma looked nervous. "See if you can find a spear or something and flank him. Oh-!"

Laughing, the creature charged in!

Spoiler: Battle!

Show

Titus of Emdar vs. the Buck Ogre
Allies: Cathak Io Yoma

Roll Join Battle!

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus clapped his hands together, his face absolutely gleeful in the face of the charging creature. "I don't need weapons, ma'am," he said offhandedly, slipping into his old respectful habit. He concentrated. Nova had taught him that he could use a certain amount of Essence without being all obvious about it. He'd just have to hope it was enough.

He dug one foot into the ground, digging in a small crater. He focused his inner Essence into his skin, reinforcing it in the way that had saved him from many a botched trap of Nova's. If he could take a crazy Terrestrial general lady, he could probably take Twinbozo here no problem. He dug another foot in, spreading his arms and focusing more Essence throughout his core, reinforcing his muscles and bones for the next part. The Elk-duo raised its axe, and Titus pumped his right leg backwards, smashing a cloud of dust behind him as he slipped underneath the attack. He kicked to the side, hooking an arm under the mutant's and using it as leverage to pull himself behind it, slipping his legs behind him and pulling the creature into a lock. He grinned.

"You suck!" he roared, wrapping his arms around the creature's neck and squeezing. He didn't get it as well as he wanted, though, as the Elk was thrashing beneath him. He fought to control, wrapping his arms around and gripping his hands into the creature's noses to distract them. At the same time, he dug his feet into the back of its legs, trying to force it to kneel.

[Jade_Tarem]

The ogre's attempt to shake Titus off proved in vain, and Yoma burst into flame as her Anima Flux flared. She took careful aim with, of all things, the bell of her saxophone, took a deep breath, picked up her earlier song, and suddenly dropped the beat. A light flared from within the instrument and a jet of fire leaped out, transforming briefly into a score of music writ entirely in flame before searing one of the buck-ogre's heads off entirely! The creature's shrieks were nearly muted by the noise of the music, and ash and smoke rippled from the beast along with the incredible heat, but Titus was unaffected, armored by his charms and Solar magic.

Spoiler: Battle!

Show

Tick 0: Titus Move/Grapple/Crush
Tick 1: Buck-Ogre Fails to Break Grapple || Yoma Aims
Tick 2: Yoma Aims
Tick 3: Yoma Aims
Tick 4: Yoma uses unidentified Flame-Attack
Tick 5: No action
Tick 6: [Titus gets to act]

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus began laughing as the creature's head erupted, and left him plenty of room to grapple with the other. He kept one hand gripping the nose back while the other slid beneath its throat. "It's okay, Yoma, I got this!" he called out, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be a mortal and thus afraid of fire. No matter, though. He squeezed the Elk's remaining neck hard, his face growing in concentration; what had the creature done, exactly? He was killing it because...well, it'd been nasty to Yoma. Also, it had charged first. But he realized the laughing was a bit off, for him. He'd certainly enjoyed fighting people before, but he'd never actually laughed, or enjoyed it nearly this much.

But it was fun, straining against such a creature, especially with the cute chick watching. He resisted the urge to show off, and focused on efficiently (if with unorthodox technique) taking the beast down.

And that he did. He finally got a good grip, and crushed the beast's throat. It gagged, but they'd said it had an Essence signature. Could it heal from that? He snapped its neck, just to be sure, using the leverage from gripping its nostrils to do the deed. He felt...very, very strangely satisfied. It had attacked him, though. He'd just defended himself. Vigorously. Speaking of, he leaped off the corpse and dusted off his hair as he faced Yoma, a light grin on his features.

"Well, that was easy. Any other signatures we gotta deal with?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Just... yours." Yoma lowered her instrument partially - and cautiously. "What are you?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus continued smiling, proud that his heart didn't even skip a beat. He'd been thinking about this. "Er, a mortal? Those monks at the temple say I can do some fancy stuff if I focus right. Is that Essence? They never really get into details. All I know is I'm strong, but I try to save it for crazy stuff like that Elk-thing. Things?" He scratched his head. "But I really do try to hold back. Wouldn't want to get into a bar brawl and really hurt someone, you know? Saw enough of that in Emdar..." His smile drew into a frown, and his gaze grew a bit distant. Part of the act was really feeling it, and he still saw Horatia's eyes staring at him when he talked about the Fall.

He glanced at the houses, giving a small cough. "Did it hurt anyone? Should we check on them?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Yoma relaxed, just a bit. "You should check on them." She waved a hand at her own body, indicating the conflagration engulfing it. "I'm going to report to Dunes and keep away from buildings. Shout if you see any more Wyld-forms."

[Astro_sol]

SRMM

In the wake of the attack, and with the temporary departure of the ever-burning Yoma, Titus elected to see to the damage caused by the beast. Lacking any real medical skills, the townspeople found plenty of use for him in moving heavy debris, turning wagons back over, and - in one notable case - getting a horse down from roof on which the buck-ogre had placed it for safe keeping. No one was quite sure how he did it, but to this day all agree that the horse never did figure out what was going on.

Titus eventually found his way to the Dragon-Blooded, not that they were difficult to spot. The twin screeches that had sounded out while he'd worked had been sufficient to quell the doubts of the townsfolk that the Terrestrials could handle the Wyld beasts. When he got there, the three Dragon-Blooded were in animated, if amicable, discussion. Upon noticing him, all three turned and put on the same cheesy smile. "Titus! So good to see you again," Michri said. "You're looking no worse for wear, I see."

Titus gave two thumbs up. "My dad always said I have stamina."

"Yes, your father. Could you tell us a bit about your parents?"

Titus blinked. He'd prepared for this. He lowered his hands and scratched his head, as he was wont to do, and told the truth. "Well, my father, Janus, he was a farmer. Always was, he's the one who moved us to Emdar, ya know, said there were opportunities. He was always really strong, but nowhere near as strong as me. My mom, Helena, she was really strong too, she'd help in the fields unless she was pregnant, and even then Janus had to talk her out of it. I got my hair from her," he took a moment to point at it before scratching again, "and she was a brilliant cook. But she died giving birth to my sister. Why do you ask?"

"Because *mortals* don't wrestle buck-ogres and win." Nombla answered evenly. "Not even ones who have trained at the temple of a long-unfavored goddess."

"For a short time, too, considering how recently Emdar burned." Yoma added, also evaluating.

Titus cocked his head. He was used to being confused, so he just put it onto his face. "Well, I told you that I know I'm stronger than other people. But..." He bit his lip. "How could I not be, you know? My parents were mortals. I've looked in a mirror, and I look it, right? Are you saying there's something wrong with me?" He kept his voice even, and held his gaze to theirs, except for a few strategically placed aside glances. Nova had shown him how people did that when they were genuinely nervous. He just had to make sure they interpreted the way he was laying it out.

"No one's said anything at the temple. I brought it up once, and they just told me that I'll die just like everyone else. I thought they were being clever, or something. But they wouldn't elaborate, so I left it at that, you know? But I'm strong, and I...well, I can count the times I've been really tired in the past year on one hand." He swallowed. "I don't want to hurt anyone. That's why I went. I don't want to lose my temper one day and really hurt someone. During the fall, I...I killed a lot of people. They were soldiers. They killed a lot of my friends, and they were trying to kill me. But I killed them, and I got my family out of there and safe. And those soldiers might have had wives, or sons or daughters. I would have lost myself if I lost them...what about their families?"

He sighed. "I wasn't trying to hide nothing. Otherwise I wouldn't have come. Just thought I could help, and use this strength for something nice, you know?"

The three Terrestrials exchanged a glance. Finally, Michri brightened and asked, "Can you describe your father physically?"

"Oh..." Titus pretended to realize he'd babbled on, looking sheepish. This may have gotten bad. "Dusty brown hair, hazel eyes, really tanned, maybe 5'10" with a whole lot of muscle. Got lotsa wrinkles on his face. Why?"

Nombla gave a snort. "Just some standard security checking. We have to ask anyone with supernatural abilities." Another exchanged glance. "I'm going to go see to some of the damages."

"I'd like to continue on with Titus for a bit. After all, he just did save like a third of Nathir." Yoma winked at Titus.

"I'd like to join Titus too, if-"

"You're coming with me."

Michri turned to the Earth-Aspect. "What? But..."

"I need someone to double check my damages figures for Islesi."

Michri barked a laugh. "Ah yes, the adventures of Azure Sky, Ace Statistician of the Wyld Hunt..."

Yoma brushed herself off as her flux died down to reasonable levels. "So, Titus, have you ever been to a sauna?"

Titus blinked. That was...very unexpected.

He blinked again. A sauna...he wasn't an idiot. He'd killed an Elk and showed off his strength to a bunch of villagers. He was hopeful.

"Not that I can recall. The fields were rather lacking in that regard."

"Awh. Emdar was a river-city, right? I'd have thought they'd come up with one at some point. Well, they don't have saunas in Nathir, either, but they do have a river west of here and I can produce a lot of heat... we'll make it work."

Ha. Haha. Hahahahahahaha-

"Oh, well, that sounds nice. I could really use a bath." He stretched his arms. "Care for a race? First one there...uh..." Scratch, scratch. "Something. We'll make it work."

Titus was talking to a puff of smoke. Burning tracks were already headed west.

[Jade_Tarem]

NOW

"Ahhhh..." Meander said. "That explains a few things. I take it we're referring to the Cathak Io Yoma, and not someone named for her?"

"The same." Hadassi nodded. "She doesn't noise it about. All part of the performance persona."

"Aaaand how do you know this?"

"What are you saying? My sources are unimpeachable!"

"And unapproachable, I'm sure." Meander returned his gaze to the falls of Sanazala. "Go on."

THEN

Nova returned the next day, though the training changed. Satisfied, at least in part, with Titus's growing awareness, she instead turned his attentions... inward.

She picked a new favorite meeting place, too. What had once been a temple, or perhaps a fortress, now lay in ruins on the overgrown floor of the dense Eastern woods. Sunlight reached it through holes in the shade, rather than patches of shade being available against the sun. Moreover, the trials of time had twisted the geography in such a way as to put the ruins in the path of a large stream, which now flowed into the building in the form of several small waterfalls. It was beautiful, in a way, but also a reminder of glories long gone, and long forgotten.

Nova was neither, though, and she waited for Titus between two waterfalls, resting up against an overgrown but still-intact brick pillar, with the sunlight sparkling off the flow to one side of her. "Good morning, Titus. I figure we'd shake up the attempted homicide routine a bit today. Ready to learn a thing or two about martial arts?"

Spoiler: The Training Grounds

Show

Seven Months Previous to THEN

It started small, the High Side Shuffle. A bit of kindling here, a missing lantern there. Nero had once read in a stolen copy of the Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier that fire was an excellent flanking buddy. Once you start it, it maintains itself, costing you nothing, but your enemy still has to fight it or it will cost them everything. For that part, he used Caelia - he wasn't sure he could move fast enough once things got going.

The next trick was more impressive. He'd have liked to have dropped a redwood, but he didn't have that kind of strength or the time. Instead, he settled for sandbagging a few Haltan guards with Caelia's assistance. Their gear would prove handy - but more importantly, he wanted the Haltans to be thinking about their missing guards when everything started happening.

The final preparation was one he'd completed as they'd traveled, and in his captivity. While he had about given up on a chance of rescue, he'd put some effort into learning the Haltan dialect. Just in case. Caelia was working on it, but she still had a ways to go, so the last part of the deception would be all up to him.

They'd spent an entire, tense week setting up. A week avoiding capture, a week of Nero fighting off the effects of his injuries, but finally it was ready. The timing, however, would have to be perfect - and it all hinged on something as unpredictable as a fire.

Finally it was ready, though. Caelia and Nero hid inside the Haltan city, waiting for the telltale signs of the three blazes Caelia had started to the south, west, and east. "Are we going to hell for this?" Caelia asked.

"No. I don't think the afterlife works like that. We are going to piss off a bunch of gods though."

"Not to mention the Haltans."

"Not to mention them. There it is!"

The first alarm sounded. Fire spotted to the west. Caelia started to get up from her position, but Nero pulled her back down. "Not yet."

More tense waiting passed, then the alarm went out for the fire to the east. "Now."

Caelia - skin darkened to a deep shade of brown, bolted out and into the interior of the settlement. Nero, skin also darkened, popped out and went west as fast as he could. The disguises were pretty poor, but they weren't planning on everyone being super-observant today. "Linowan!" Nero shouted in his best Haltan. "It's a Linowan Ploy! I can see their war camp beyond the flames!"

Nero's plan was really not that complicated - perhaps a blessing, given their limited resources. Give the Haltan town four real emergencies - three fires and a prisoner breakout - and one fake one just for good measure. Split the attention and resources of their opponents again and again, and raise a big enough stink that their pursuers would have to detour to help prevent this from turning into a genuine disaster. He began moving north, still shouting his false warning, and finally dropped it as he reunited with Caelia - just in time for the shouts of an impending prisoner breakout to emerge, along with the news of another fire. "Arson, murder, highway robbery, and now disturbing the peace. We've become quite the crooks." Nero snickered. "This way. If the Bull's army won't take us, we'll keep on until we hit the Haslanti league."

The pair took off along the walkways, pursuit shaken for the moment.

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus found that he had been humming the entire rest of the day before, and today it hadn't stopped. The previous day had proven to be confusing, but overall really cool. He'd ultimately determined not to tell anyone about Yoma, although he figured the Sidereals would know about it anyway and would at least recognize his avoidance of the subject. He even wondered if they'd planned on it all happening in the first place. Hrm.

He blinked. Hearing "martial arts" had peaked his interest. "Well, yeah. I've been going off of instinct up til now. What did you have in mind?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Not instinct." Nova shook her head. "Not quite. What you've got is a past life. Let's talk a bit more about Exaltation."

Nova sat once again, this time on the rocky cropping between the falls. She didn't seem to care if Titus followed suit. "Mortals, by default, have a soul, and that soul is really more like two souls. The higher soul, the hun, represents conscious thought, memory, and will, as well as learned skill and wisdom. The lower soul, the po, is the more subconscious and instinctual soul. Solars, Lunars, and any Exalted somehow derived from them have a third soul, though - the Exaltation, a fragment of Sol or Luna. That third soul can be imprinted on during an Exaltation. A skilled and ancient god cleans off as much of this accumulated detritus - some helpful, some not - between Exaltations, but he never quite gets all of it. You may find, as you bind more closely to your Exaltation, that you experience memories that are not yours... and these moves that you've picked up weren't learned by you. They're yours now, though, so let's talk about Martial Arts!"

Nova hopped up and bounced her way to the middle of the room, balancing easily on a narrow rock poking up out of one of the incongruous streams. "Martial arts are a subject of great study throughout Creation. The Realm has its own classification system, which I'm going to teach you just so you can talk about it without sounding like a goober if you run into the Immaculate Monks. They consider the Immaculate Styles to be the greatest, most powerful, and most spiritually pure expression of martial arts." Nova began to demonstrate, moving through a series of attacks too fast to see... before disappearing for a moment herself, all without leaving the tiny rock. "Below that, according to the Order, are the Immaculate-approved but secular styles like the Five Dragons Style that you've seen. Lots of Dragon-Blooded know that one, since it provides some solid benefits but takes a lot less time and effort to learn." Nova reappeared as she spoke, this time moving in a familiar pattern - it was how Atarove would have fought, had she lacked a daiklave, Titus could tell. "Below that are the various unenlightened mortal styles, and below that are the blasphemous Anathema styles such as your own, which don't-you-know are supplied by getting in bed with demons and whatnot and therefore not worth learning despite their power. The practice of these is forbidden in the Realm." At this, Nova's stance broadened into the one Titus would slip into during combat; one hand clenched, another open, both ready to strike and tear until the enemy was overwhelmed.

Now faintly glowing, Nova stayed in that one. "But Heaven sees it a bit differently, divvying up the styles into normal, Terrestrial, and Celestial. Normal styles can be built around anything - some are spiritual, but more are based on practical and utility reasons, like defending your town from brigands: 'This is our patented 'Villager Crotch-Punches a Bandit' technique.' And of course, there is some value in such things... for mortals. But the game changes once you have Essence. By the time you're dealing with a Terrestrial style, you're trying to understand your own Essence, and using whatever you can to help you focus it into an effective fighting mechanism. Practicality is still a factor, of course, but whether philosophical or not, you have to take spirituality into account. At some level, someone using the Five Dragons Style has to understand what the Five Dragons represent and how to emulate them as a group." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Celestial Martial Arts are one step tougher. Those who master the Martial Arts at this level, known in some circles as the Resplendent Bulb of Understanding, are those attempting to emulate the functions of Creation and Heaven. They perceive the world as one entity and, in seeking the enlightenment that allows them to do so, learn the true nature of the Essence that binds everything. They pattern it after aspects of reality - animals, one of the Five Dragons, light, anything - and can use that understanding, that emulation, to channel Essence explosively."

Nova extended one hand, and a thick, dull-grey staff leaped into it from out of sight, inset with a sparkling hearthstone and casting the odd prismatic shadow every few seconds. "With that, Titus, we'll talk about your first style. You're deep into what was once known colloquially as the Solar Hero Style, or Fist of the Daystar Style if you want to be formal. It channels the Essence of the Unconquered Sun into general excellence in combat, that the Sun's Chosen might stand against the enemies of Creation with naught but their fists and prevail. Mastering it means understanding what you are and what you are to do. It is the understanding of how your virtues guide and shape who you are, how you can withdraw and remain valorous, grow and retain your convictions, experience and remain temperate, and act with necessity without losing compassion. When you understand yourself, and the difference between what you can do and what you should do, you will be a true hero, Titus, one who can do anything, even lose..." She leveled the staff at him. "And still remain... unconquered. Ready for anything?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus listened dutifully and only got distracted by the way the sun shone through the broken windows only twice. He'd never seen the like as a farmer, and now Nova was doing double duty with both sightseeing and training. It was almost like a date, except you beat each other up. It was kind of like how he'd met Yoma, honestly. He hoped future endeavors - he stopped that thought. Endeavors! Plural! He'd never have dreamed of this sort of thing back when he was a thief. Times were changing. Maybe he was just growing up, instead of becoming some womanizing fiend thing.

He thought about the styles. Apparently, he was doing this Celestial martial arts junk and he wasn't even trying! But he couldn't get spoiled off of expecting everything to just occur to him. He knew he should learn Terrestrial Martial Arts, just to get the feel of it. He doubted he could excel with his base knowledge alone. The bit about virtues really got him frowning. He wondered about his family; they would probably at least be watched by the Wyld Hunt, if not questioned. Would that have all been avoided if he hadn't wanted to show off to Yoma? He certainly couldn't find another reason why he'd run off and shown off his skill without really considering that he hadn't practiced holding back. Even then, he probably still wouldn't have anyway. But if he hadn't done all of that, he wouldn't have had that rendezvous with Yoma, and that wouldn't have been good at all.

Maybe he'd just understand this all later. Right now she was pointing a staff at him, and as much as his higher brain (was that like the Puns and hoes she was talking about?) told him that it was just calling his attention, his lower brain was screaming at him to bat it aside and smack her before she did something sneaky.

"Sure." He was a Solar. She'd probably be unexpected anyway, but he could deal with it. He cracked a knuckle. "So are you going to be the bandit, or the angry villager?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Nova snorted. "The Sidereal is always the bandit, Titus. Everything I do is a lie, remember?" With that, Nova wasted no time in getting started...

...and never really stopped. Day in and day out, for two months they came to the temple, and would spar while speaking of virtue, the weather, various martial arts, even economics... whatever Nova wanted to talk about, it seemed. Titus was even with Nova in skill when he began, but as he improved... he still seemed even. It slowly dawned on him - hun not intended - that Nova was holding back, possibly significantly, and it occurred to him that he had no idea how old or powerful the Chosen of Secrets really was. He didn't get much chance to ask, though, and soon found himself in a mix of martial arts with Nova's earlier training. Indeed, it was an intensified version of anything that had come before.

He could handle that, though. What was truly disconcerting were the memories that came to him, just as Nova foretold. They didn't come in the form of dreams - indeed, when he fell asleep he tended to simply vanish into black oblivion until Nova's elbow drop or summoned elementals awakened him the next day. No, the memories occurred while training. He could look up and see the same temple, in all its glory. No overgrowth, no matter how green and inviting looking, marred the walls. The streams were held in check in decorative pools into which the waterfalls spilled perfectly. The skylights, no longer choked with canopy and brush, let in abundant natural light, and the hall remained illuminated - probably by Essence - even at night. Nova's voice would sometimes turn distinctly masculine, and Titus's shadow occasionally took on much longer hair and more feminine curves. Sometimes, in the rare free time he had to explore the ruins, Titus would realize that he knew something of the layout before he reached a new area. It was, all in all, a bizarre experience that Nova never discredited or scoffed at when Titus brought it up.

Another two and a half months passed. "You're doing better at thinking for yourself, Titus, I'll say that," Nova said one day. "So today's training is going to be a little different. We're going to spar for a bit. I'm going to use only the Violet Bier of Sorrows style, and only moves from your particular level of Essence enlightenment. If you can beat me, or force me to break one of those rules, there's a special prize, and I'll consider your martial arts training with me complete... for the moment."

[Jade_Tarem]

SRMM

Nova twirled her staff and held it behind her to make the Lesser sign of Saturn, as Titus understood it. Scarlet Essence flowed around her, and her anima flared up into a hard, clear green jade color as her caste mark popped brightly onto her forehead. Maneuvering herself quickly, she tested the Solar with a sweeping swing of her staff, the inset hearthstone leaving a blurry afterimage of a rune in a language Titus couldn't read as it sped toward his face.

The blow sends shivers though the air and surrounding structure as Titus leans back out of the way. Nova keeps the staff moving, nonplussed.

After so much training where pain could come from any angle at any time, Titus' body had apparently learned to think for itself. He narrowed his eyes and took a step, his deep golden Essence shining through a slight haze that began to form around him. He took another step, raising his fists, one hand closed, one hand open. No time to think, just react. His own caste mark burst into life, mixing with Nova's green and overall making the surrounding color a bit unsettling.

Attacking from the front never, ever worked against someone who knew what they were doing. So he improvised; he launched forward, pushing down with his left foot to go right...but suddenly kicked back off a rock buried in the ground, bringing his fist in line with her glowing bored expression.

Nova countered by spinning the staff in place, using the heavy end to try to push Titus's fist out of line, and succeeded. "Clever, but you're not thinking this through." Nova went back on the offensive faster than Titus had thought possible, this time thrusting with the chisel-end of the staff three times in quick succession.

Titus leaned back to give himself some minor distance between him and Nova's attack-chisel, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. He shifted his weight to his back leg, twisting to punch the staff aside, and readied himself to begin to thunderous "applause", hoping to catch the evasive weapon.

The staff flashed through in a grazing impact for the first strike, the weapon riding a strand of fate through Titus's forceful Anima banner. Titus recovered quickly, though, and swatted away the second strike before hard-blocking the third with his clapping.

"You still think as a street fighter, Titus." Nova said, twirling the blood off of her staff. "Remember: Solar Hero. I appear to be the better striker. What will you do about that? Will you stand your ground here? What are you protecting?" She shook her head and reset the staff - blunt end. "There is nothing for you here... is there?"

Titus fought off his growing frustration. She was right. He was still being too straightforward. He needed to change something, bring something to his advantage, he...

He looked down.

He looked up.

And he smiled.

"Boo," he said, and brought both fists down into the dirt as hard as he could, his hands now shining like two suns.

Rather than the crater Titus had been expecting, a spiderweb of cracks shot thorugh the floor, a thin film of dust puffing up into a temporary knee-high mist as the floor crumbled away. Nova maintained her balance, but had to dance from rock to rock as the footing rapidly got worse. "Good gods, you could have just done a backflip into another part of the ruin! Why is this always the first thing a Solar does?" The ground gave way, and both Exalts plummeted into the core of the temple. "Someone has to fix thaaaaaaaat!" Nova's voice faded away.

The room Titus landed in was dark... before he arrived. Anima still blazing, illumination was not an issue, and numerous things with Too Many Legs scuttled away when he reached the next patch of stable flooring.

Looking around and through the cobwebs, Titus could see old designs, glyphs similar and not-similar to the Manse in which he had fought Kaizoku - his manse, though it was odd to think of it that way. Unable to read the symbols, there is only a set of spiral stairs leading down and a strange door that appears to be made of white jade, unless Titus was of a mind to jump all the way back up...

Titus blinked a few times. He didn't know how well she could take a fall. Probably well. And he was still wondering what to do next. As much as he wanted to, up front fighting didn't seem like it was going to work. He still needed to think. He could use the environment, make things more difficult for her...he needed to use up her Essence, somehow, without tiring out first.

He continued pondering as he let his legs take him to the door. He tried pushing it open.

Touching the door yielded an immediate result. A bright golden glyph appeared on it, a grinding noise was heard... and then stopped, the door unmoved.

Titus frowned. Maybe it was a pull door. He tried giving it a tug.

Despite the lack of a handle, yanking on the door was possible - but produced no effect when done casually.

Titus shrugged. He needed to conserve his Essence, he knew. Plus, it would help if he could maybe get the drop on Nova, so he should be as quiet as possible.

He laughed as he walked to the other end of the room. Screw that. He was a Solar. He didn't listen to doors that said "no." He charged across the room, bringing up clouds of debris with each stomp as he shoulder-slammed the door.

The door remained perfectly intact. The wall around it, however, did not, and the assembly toppled over like Janus's neighboring farmer from down the street after a few too many at local gatherings. Inside, Titus' light shone over what was clearly - once upon a time - an armory. The racks are picked clean, the closets broken open. A hole in the far wall is no doubt how whatever scavenged the place managed to get past the jade door. But not all of interest is gone. At the far end of the room, almost enshrined upon a seeming altar, a tattered pair of rags hangs from what was probably a silver bar before the tarnish took it. Flickering lights adorn the walls, attempting to spark back to life as Titus walks in. A crumpled suit of armor lies beneath the weighty jade door, and piles of refuse in the corner hint at other destroyed perishables.

Titus felt his not-forgotten thieving urges burst to the surface.

"Loot!" he shouted. She'd never said he couldn't take anything from the place (almost worryingly, neither did she), and the rags looked...well, useless. But he supposed it wouldn't hurt to wrap his hands up with something. Maybe they were magic. Most things in a place that was all glowy did that. The armor wasn't interesting, though; experimentation had taught him that wearing armor made him soften up, for a given definition of "soften".

He grabbed the rags before making his way for the hole in the wall. Sure, he was in a fight, but he had to loot. He was poor enough as it was. He at least noted the armor's location before moving on.

The hole in the wall led to a hallway with a number of doors, some of which seemed to lead to much-abused living quarters, one to a lavatory with a hole in the ceiling, and one at the end of the hall into... something else. For the life of him, Titus couldn't figure out what to make of it. The scavenger's hadn't gotten in, it seemed, but they hadn't missed much. Strange contraptions littered the floor, and the back wall housed a suit of armor apparently built for a man twenty feet high. It may, in fact, have been a statue of green jade. An even bigger alcove sat empty. Opposite the giant armor, a wall cracked partially open in a way that suggested it was supposed to open up like that and had gotten stuck halfway. The outside was not visible through it, only packed dirt and roots. And battle damage is everywhere, signs of might blows, vicious gashes, burns, blasts, and more are evident on every surface of everything. Moreover, when he stood perfectly still, Titus could faintly hear the sounds of combat. Mass combat, with lots of screaming.

Other than the massive door with the caked dirt, other doors were available, some leading to other, twisting hallways, some leading still deeper, and finally, there was a ruined staircase leading straight up in each corner. Taking one of them revealed an ascent past a room damaged beyond all possibility of recognizing it's function or, indeed, it's original form, though it also possessed the large pair of cracked doors. Another floor up, requiring some creative footwork from the young Solar, managed to take him into real sunlight again, a hallway that led him a considerable distance north, and into a whole new giant chamber. This new room was a true curiosity - a large and complex apparatus leaned at a dangerous angle, clearly supposed to connect to the ceiling and just as clearly failing to do so in an orderly fashion. The machine was narrow but appeared supernaturally sturdy despite the ravages of time. The rest of the room was barren, save for the fascinating murals, many of them depicting the exploits of a young, brown-haired woman ablaze with golden light... and her green-gold dragon anima.

A closer examination of the machine was interrupted when a small *pop* and crackle was heard, a moment of silence later, a fantastical creature with the head and front of an eagle and the back of a lion crashed through the wall with a vicious shriek!

Spoiler: Battle!

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[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus ran his fingers over the mural. This was...weird. He'd certainly noticed his shadow changing, and he knew he was experiencing other people's memories, but this was something completely different. This was weird. He'd...never exactly prided himself on being a man (a nagging voice pointed out his behavior with Yoma and the ****-Ogre, which he ignored), but this raised questions. It was certainly more important than whatever noise the strange creature now screaming at him.

He had to know if he was a lesbian, of course.

He didn't take his eyes off the mural as the creature leaped towards him. A quick shift in his weight and one small step let him angle out of the way. He wondered, as he finally gave the eagle-lion thing some attention, if that meant that his lady incarnation had liked women, or if he would end up looking at men the same way he had started looking at women. He began to consider whether any of this mattered as he ran up the wall, digging in instant footholds before launching himself downwards from the ceiling, one foot extended out. He wanted to end this quickly, after all. He had important things to consider.

[Jade_Tarem]

The creature seemed none too pleased with Titus's kick, lashing out at him and gnawing on the foot that had so rudely intruded on his personal space. It failed to make a dent, however, and with another swift kick Titus put it down...

Only for a pair of bears to lumber through the hole the eagle-cat thing had created! At least, they most strongly resembled bears... but their fur was green and extra fuzzy -

NOW

"Extra Fuzzy?"

"You heard me."

THEN

- extra fuzzy, they stood on their hind legs, 12 and 13 feet tall, and their rich gold eyes showed them to be smarter than the average bear. With neither threat nor comment, they both adopted a clear martial arts ready stance and moved in...

[Jade_Tarem]

SRMM

Titus had never seen a bear before. He'd heard the name, and knew they existed, but bears didn't tend to go shopping, and even in his time spent on the farm with Janus, he'd never encountered one. Probably because they were too close to the city. That said, he'd heard that they were incredibly strong, and could tear a man in half without too much effort. And these bears were holding martial arts stances.

He clapped his hands together. "You guys are adorable!" And then he'd settled back into his stance. He couldn't let the excitement get to him; he was learning a lesson, here. Nova was a bloody Sidereal, so she could probably tell he would have to fight Kung Fu Bears.

He decided to gauge their strength. A street fighter would rush in and create havoc. A Solar Hero, he decided, was directed havoc. Thus, he rushed forward...and then to the side of one of the bears, pulling back his fists for a hammer blow to the side of one of the bears...

The struck bear went skidding and rolling across the floor, letting out a big "whoof" both at Titus's punch and when it hit the other bear. The second one finally spoke. "We get that a lot. Huah!" It made a sudden effort to grab Titus, using the proverbial bear hug to gain an advantage over the faster Solar.

The prone form of the first bear opened its jaw wide, and a winter blast of icy hail shot out, crashing into the Solar's held form. The second bear squeezed for all it was worth, but failed to break Titus despite applying pressure that would crush a normal man to powder. "He's resilient, Ji Jao!" The standing bear said. "I can see that, Ji Bao!" The prone one replied. "Resistant enough to face a Huraka?"

"He *is* a Lawgiver, but then, you know the rules."

"True, true."

Titus gave his muscles a flex. "You guys can talk. And, uh..." He flexed harder. "I don't know what you guys are on about, but..." He grinned. "I don't care about your rules! I'll face anyone who wishes to fight, Huraka or fuzzy wuzzy bear!"

The bear proved too heavy and too canny for Titus to flip, at least with the grip that he had. "We are the Eastern Huraka, two of many." said 'Ji Jao' as he got up, still holding his side a little. "It is our duty to shepherd the winds of Creation where they need to go, to dispel falsehoods where we find them, and to serve the masters of Wind within our domain. We also know martial arts."

"A surprising number of things in Creation do." added Ji Bao, still squeezing.

Titus grinned. "You're strong, very strong! But why," he asked, slipping his leg through 'Ji Jao's', "are we fighting? Not that I need an excuse, but I'm not a falsehood. Is this about me smashing the roof?"

He pressed his arm against the side of his opponent, and put some real Essence into it this time, shifting his weight to bring the bear to the ground.

"Foouuuul!" Ji Bao shouted as he hit the ground heavily. "Not really, well done!"

"But now I must express confusion." Ji Jao added. "We were called in specifically to fight you, though you do seem to be looking different these days." Neither bear attacked, both on guard...

"And you clearly want to fight." Ji Bao added from the floor, gesturing to the ruins of the gryphon. "I mean, look at what you did to Jimi."

Titus nearly dropped his stance. He tried not to let it show on his face, but...

"He...he had a name?"

"Indeed! Dead long ago, of course. Gryphons don't last like the Huraka do."

"Hrmph. That's what you get from Wyld construction. All flash, no substance."

Titus breathed a sigh of relief. Barely. This didn't feel right at all. "What do you mean, I look different? I've never met you two before."

An idea dawned on him. That picture, of the lady with the dragon anima...

"I fought the gry...Jimi because he ran through a wall shrieking at me, and I'm on edge because my Sidereal trainer is trying to teach me fighting stuff. I want to fight, but I'd rather not kill you guys if you can think and whatnot." His smile started to return. "Of course, if you want a thrashing, training or not, I'll give you one. But answer my question, first."

"Well, that's the curious thing of it."

"Comes from dealing with Mortal Souls."

"Mrmph. Yes. You seem to be under the impression that you're viewing reality as you're accustomed to it, but that's not true."

"No, not at all. It's as if he doesn't know."

"He might not. I mean, they don't really have proper schools these days."

"Well then we should clear that up for him. Solar! Your previous incarnation had this place built as a training facility, repurposing it from a military base used during the Primordial Wars."

"Nasty business that. I've always said it's a bad war when no one even knows how long it lasted."

"Yes. Anyway, being a Solar, she installed the very finest equipment, including this place." The bear gestured expansively. "A vault of woven dreams. Rare and valuable, and typically used - ah - *recreationally*, but your past self was more of a fighter than a lover."

"By Solar standards."

"Not now, Ji Jao. Anyway, you've turned on the vault again, so here you are in a solidified dream."

"If Jimi over there is anything to go by, the vault seems to be calling up entities that your past self fought during her time on Creation. She liked to study opponents she'd gone up against and test herself against them with slight changes to the environment and the opponents themselves, to refine her fighting techniques."

Titus couldn't stop the image forming in his mind of bears, gryphons, and "recreational" usage, even if Ji Jao said that it was a fighting place.

"Pity. Love is just another kind of fight, anyway. Sort of like wrestling." He coughed. "Look, uh, are you guys, er, dreams, too, then? Did you fight her?"

"Oh *my* yes. Not at the height of her power, of course, but early on. She was looking for sparring partners, and we were, in a nutshell, bored."

"And yes, we're dream constructs. The real Ji Jao and Ji Bao could be anywhere."

"But probably somewhere in the East."

"I see!" Titus began flexing his fingers, causing cracks to echo in the chamber. "One last question, before we get back to it, then. What was her name?"

"Well that's the curious thing of it."

"We don't remember."

"And we never forget."

"Anyway, prepare yourself... for the flair of the Air Bear Scare Affair!"

The two spirit bears launched themselves at Titus, moving quickly into a rapid flurry of punches and spin kicks.

"Hoo! Ha! Hiyah! Kiiiyah!"

Titus tried to control his snickering, but realized very quickly that it was a futile effort. "R...hahaha...right! Hiya! Ha, ha, ha!" he cried, the last laughs punctuating his punches.

The Huraka were literally punched in half, but they had time to give their final regards to the Solar.

"I say! Well done!"

"Good day, sir!"

"Titus, what are you doing?" The voice was calm but stern. It also belonged to Nova. The Sidereal stepped out from behind the machine-pillar in the center of the room.

Titus waved. "Oh, fighting some bears." It...it wasn't like he'd forgotten he was in the middle of training, but...well. He'd gotten a bit carried away. "I was looking for you, and then a gryphon came at me. Then Ji Jao and Ji Bao here," he pointed at the mess the pair had made, "wanted to scuffle. They told me about this place. Dreamland that belonged to me, back when I was a lady-person." He shrugged. "Apparently fighting's in the blood. Er...no, that's not right..." he scratched the back of his head, metaphorgotten.

"Right. This vault thing is dangerous. It shouldn't have activated on its own, and odds are good that it isn't double checking to make sure that you stay safe. We need to leave before..."

"E! Vashtu kor'kona iamo djorgandan loram toch! Ustoch ne var!"

Nova's eyes widened. She glanced at Titus. "It said that the higher Essence presence in the room has upped the difficulty of the training. It's pulling from a limited list of opponents, though - namely, things your past self fought - so I'm not really sure what it thinks is going to be a threat to m-"

A man stepped through the hole in the wall. He was dressed in well-kept attire, a tunic, bloused pants, plus boots and belt. He had a neatly trimmed beard and hair, and looked calmly at the two Exalts in the room. "It is all..." he stated calmly, "for the ideal."

Titus wasn't sure what happened next. To say that it happened in an eyeblink would have meant that Titus had blinked, and he had not. Nonetheless, one moment the man was framed against the forest outside, and the next his fist was six inches to the right of Titus' face, having apparently been pushed there by Nova's staff. A look of genuine panic framed Nova's features. "Titus! There's a command to shut it down. Your only job now is to remember it before I die!"

SRMM

"Remember?!" Titus fell back, his heart racing at Nova's proclamation. She was...he had no idea exactly how strong she was. Who was this man? No, no, he had to think!

Ji Jao and Ji Bao. Jimi. A Dream-world, laced with memories that he had no access to. How could he just remember? He ran the man's words through his head...'all for the ideal'? He sounded like Kaizoku. Maybe his past shared similarities with the present. Who was he? He tried to think of having long hair, tried to take in the Essence of the place, reaching out to with all of his will to truly feel the place...

"Dammit!" He smacked himself in the head. "Remember, dammit!"

Memories, astonishingly, flood back in - perhaps female!Titus had spent a lot of time here? Hundreds of training sessions, all of them ended with the simple phrase...

"Aio Sicrua!" Titus had no idea what he'd said, but it sounded right. "Aio Sicrua, E!"

In even the thirty seconds it had taken him to come up with that, the room had been devastated. Moving almost too fast to see - and in many cases too fast to see, but Titus wouldn't know that - Nova and the new fighter had skipped off of walls, ceilings, and purely intangible concepts to tear at each other. A strange buzz filled the air, as though the world around them couldn't decide who was supposed to win. They, however, apparently *did*, and Nova was losing ground rapidly when the man, and all the room's battle damage, dissolved, leaving a relatively pristine chamber, a leaning mechanical column, and the two Exalted. Even the hole that the gryphon had made was gone.

Nova collapsed where she stood, breathing heavily and bleeding from somewhere above her hairline. "Titus, can you check? Do I still have all my soul? Is my personal integrity okay? Am I, at this moment, experiencing delusions of grandeur? Also, what year is it?"

Titus ran to her side, placing his hand on her forehead, his own creased in concern. "Er...I think you're fine. I think. I'm not a doctor. But you're always experiencing delusions of grandeur, so, uh..." He stood up, lowering a hand to help her up. "Who was that? I've never seen fighting like that before...or at least I don't remember it."

"That was Chejop Kejak, my Sifu, circa the Usurpation. He's now probably the most powerful Exalt in existence."

Titus whistled. "Damn! And my predethingy fought him? How the heck did she get out of that?" He blinked. "Holy sh...you're telling me you nearly died fighting a past incarnation of him, and he's stronger now than ever. Damn, damn, damn, damn..."

"She didn't. And yes, he's much stronger than that now."

Titus gave that a few moments of thought.

"If she didn't, then how'd he turn up here? Bears said people popped up who she'd fought, but, um, wouldn't she have to, like, come back here or something?"

He didn't know how exactly he felt about the guy. Solar stuff was weird. The guy had murdered his predecessor, and here he was training with the guy's apprentice. Odd.

"Odds are she had a device on her at all times that kept track of who she was fighting and sent the data here automatically. Solars did that kind of thing, back in the First Age - it's really hard to impress on the people of the current generation just how much has been lost over the centuries, technologically."

"Ah...right...so, um. Are we still training? Never seen anything thrash you this badly." His hand was still held out to her, just in case she wanted it.

"No, we're done for today. Grats on your win, though." Nova took the hand and got up.

"Cool. Question, though. What was my lady-self's name? I asked the bears, but they didn't remember. And that's apparently really odd for them, too."

"Funny story. I *do* remember, but I'm not allowed to say it. Not by Sidereal rules - I'm literally not allowed to say it due to metaphysical constraints. And that's the answer you're going to get from just about everyone."

"...Metawhat now? You're saying the universe won't let you say it?"

"Correct. I could maybe spell it for you, slowly, but you'll find that you can't say it either. Also, you don't speak Old Realm."

Eyebrows furrowed. A hand scratched his head. "Well, alright, but don't cause a metaphysical breakdown. Can you tell me how it's meta-illegal, though? Or are their constraints on that, too?"

It was kinda cool to think about, though. He...or a part of him, at least, had broken the universe, it seemed. Either that, or kicked it in the nadgers hard enough that reality itself got really mad and started hiding information.

"Ah. She was greatly honored, revered by all, as potentially the greatest champion of the Primordial war. She was crowned as Queen by the Unconquered Sun himself. She once strangled a Primordial to death with her bare hands, and they don't even need to breathe. They said her tears could cure cancer, but she never cried. She counted to infinity twice. She could touch the goddess of intangibility. She..." Nova blinked. "Sorry, I got off on a tangent there. Her name was Ma.......... Re.......... La.......... and as a sign of respect her Solar peers rewrote a few laws to make it physically illegal for most things to speak or write her name. You'll sometimes see it referenced as Queen M-R-L." The Sidereal shrugged. "On the other hand, the Queen thing was largely symbolic within a year. Being the best fighter didn't make her the best administrator, after all."

"Oh, well." He sniffed. "That's a bit stuck up, isn't it? Shouldn't be illegal to say someone's name. Especially if it's mine, sort of."

He raised his arms. "Behold, world! I am the Great Titus! I am the Great Eraser of Laws! I am your Queen! I mean, King! Yes!"

He gave an aside glance to Nova, lowering his voice back to normal levels. "Mare-" he descended into a coughing fit. "Ma-" and once more, coughing. "Damn! So, she allowed that stupid law to be written? Gosh, things really were screwed up." Maybe Kejak had been the hero, after all. But that was then, and this was now. "I can agree with her on one thing, though. I don't want any administrating. That's why the word 'delegate' exists. And 'lazy', too."

"Yes, well, things change over the course of Thousands of Years." Nova snorted. "Oh! I promised you a prize, as I recall..."

Titus raised an eyebrow, lowering his arms. "Oh? I didn't know I'd won, to be honest. Things got a little sidetracked there for a bit."

"Yeah, get used to that. But technically speaking, you activated the machine that forced me to use charms that were against the rules." Nova waved a hand at it. "Be warned, not every Sidereal is going to be nice enough to point out your hidden advantages."

Titus gave her a smile. "Well, you're not every Sidereal. You're Nova. So, what's the prize?"

Please don't say "the gift of me continuing to be your trainer". Or "me allowing you to keep the stuff you looted from this place." Which I need to go loot, anyway. It seemed like something she might do. This was Nova, after all. "Is it cake?"

Nova blinked. "No, it isn't cake." A piece of parchment appeared in her hand, and this time Nova didn't even try to pretend she'd pulled it from anywhere. "This is my invitation to the All Creation Invitational. It's a martial arts tournament that, well, includes all of Creation and Heaven, and specific individuals in the Underworld, Malfeas, and Rakshatan. They hold it about once a century, and offer positions to the top 4096 martial artists in the world. There's a bunch of rules that apply to it, but it's a chance to see who's who in the greater MA community, and the prizes for winning are... extensive. You can decline, and noooormally you can't just hand the invitation off to a specific someone else, but I know a god who knows a god, and they've okay'd this. Assuming you want it."

One moment, the paper was there. The next, Titus was whistling and reading the parchment. As his eyes moved down, the whistling became good-natured humming.

"I'll take that as a yes. I think we need to take another break, for tomorrow. For one thing, the folks at the temple are going to want to take the vault apart - it's probably responsible for the increased Wyld activity out here - and I could use a rest."

Titus nodded without taking his eyes off the parchment. "I wanna loot it first, though. It's, like, my stuff, right? Sort of."

"The stuff in the armories down below is nonfunctional, and even if it was, how exactly would you operate a Warstrider? Anything of value, except maybe the handwraps you've got there, was looted long ago, I assure you."

Titus shrugged. "I dunno. Figure *someone* would want it. I'd sell it, not *use* it. You Sidereals know people who know people, right?"

Nova's face grew serious. "To whom would you sell it? Sidereals don't cultivate mortal business contacts. Most merchants forget about us as soon as we leave their sight. The Guild, upon realizing what you've got, will find a way to take it without buying it from you. You're better off finding an artificer among the Silver Pact or something and getting a favor for it. Buuut, if you *insist* on trying to sell it, Nexus would be your best bet, and something tells me you'll get the opportunity to go there soon."

"The Guild can kiss my glorious Solar ass. I'll just hoard it until someone turns up. I bet I can find a place."

"Spoken like a true Lawgiver. I'll see you back at the Temple, Titus."

****

The temple held one more surprise for Titus, though. Inside, conversing animatedly with Red and Shaia, a young woman with purple hair and something like a harlequin outfit, but classier, dominated the room. "Oh, Titus is back!" Shaia said, brightening. "Haaaaaave y'met Locke?"

Seven Months Previous to THEN

Like so many things these days, it had started well. The High Side Shuffle had worked like a charm, and their pursuers had, as Nero predicted, stopped to give the town aid. Nero and Caelia had fled north as fast as they could, though Nero was moving slower than ever. Even so, it looked like they were going to make it.

Until they ran out of trees.

Neither of them knew the *exact* limits of the fae territory in the area, but they reached a point where they could no longer progress without touching the ground, and sure enough, close to the border though they were, a hunting horn was sounded and they began to catch glimpses of wyld beasts and riders through the thinning trees. Nero finally called a halt.

"What are you doing?" Caelia hissed. "We're almost there."

"You're almost there. But neither of us will make it if we keep moving at my speed. You're a strong young woman, Caelia, I know you've been slowing down to let me keep up." Nero leaned back against a tree. "You need to cut that out. Go."

"That's insane, Nero. This isn't the time for some grand gesture-"

"There's nothing grand about it." Nero shrugged out of his hauberk and jacket and Caelia gasped. Nero's wounds had not healed, and were badly infected. Even in the chill air, he was sweating and shivering, feverish. "I was never going to make it to the Bull. But you can. You've still got a chance of making it out. I'll try to kill one, slow them down or something." He saw her continued resistance. "If you can make it to the army, tell them to come get me, they've got a free recruit right here. Tell them I know of loot caches in Emdar if they get that far south. Tell them whatever you want, but don't stay here. Go!"

"I... I've never given a command before... in all the years I was 'royalty,' but I'm giving one now." A tear leaked down Caelia's cheek as she hugged him, taking care to avoid the injuries. "Make it through this, Nero. As your princess I order you to survive! Don't give up, and I won't either."

Nero returned the hug. "Heh. I'm a criminal, princess, but I'll give it a shot. By the way, hand me the iron dagger and the steel sword. Keep the iron cleaver for yourself. I've got one more plan..." It wasn't much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.

Caelia sniffed. "That's more like it. Kick his fairy a-" The hunting horn sounded again, and Caelia began to run north, moving faster now that Nero was no longer in tow. Soon, she was out of sight, and Nero shrugged back into his clothes and Hauberk. He readied himself, and sure enough, they came. Grotesque hobgoblins, fantastical creatures, and at the head of it, a fair man - a fair folk - with pale mint-green skin, luxurious brown hair, antlers, and the accoutrements of a king. The hunt rode forward, and Nero didn't budge. "Challenge!"

For a wonder, the hunt ground to a halt. The hobgoblins and critters moved to encircle Nero and the antler-fae. "You dare challenge me here? Do you even know whom you face?"

Nero could have burst out laughing. Had it been anyone else - the Emdarian City Guard, the Realm, the Haltans - it would never have worked. But the fae weren't doing a job, they were acting a part. The entertainment he provided was better than simply running him down and moving on would be. And they said all those nights breaking into private libraries were a waste of time. He settled for snorting. "You're not that famous, apparently. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Nero tuned out the aggrandizing response. He was trying to get a feel for how to best this guy in a fight, but he was distracted by the pain wracking his body, by the cold, by his fatigue. He listened only to buy Caelia time, but he found that his final efforts here were unsatisfying. It was extremely unlikely to make much of a difference, after all, and it was different, actually staring death in the face. Eventually, the fae stopped. "...so I fail to see why I should bother sparring with a simple criminal. Why not devour you instead?"

"Because I challenged you." Nero said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. "I challenged you, and you can't have that, living your story as you are. You can't abide by it. You know what my crime was? The one that got me grabbed by the Haltans? Being in the wrong city when they attacked. Before that, it was not being born to the right people and - the greatest crime of all - wanting to improve my station a bit, along with my friends and adopted family. And it nearly worked! Alas, there was no happy ending for a mortal story... the game was rigged long before I started on it. Will to power, talent... none of it mattered in the face of a setup like that. But I couldn't help but try anyway. I'm injured, sick, and tired, but I'm still standing, and you look like you could afford to miss a meal anyway. So come and face me on an 'even' footing, Fae Lord, and prove your superiority or shut up."

The fae grinned. "Hrmph. Well said then. Very well, mortal, you have your wish." He dismounted his mount - an honest to goodness jet black deer - and drew a long, curved, gossamer blade. "A fight to the death. Yours."

"I know. It's your survival that's in question."

There was nothing else to say. The Fae charged; Nero held his ground. The fae lifted his blade for the thrust; Nero did not budge. The fae made the plunge, and Nero made his final move - with a practiced motion that had saved him time and again in Emdar, he flicked the iron dagger - hidden up his sleeve until now - into his other hand. The difference was that he deliberately waited a little too late - the fae's blade plunged into his stomach and, anchored there, the fae entangled with him, Nero dropped the sword, grabbed his opponent, and plunged the dagger into the Fairy Lord's antlered face. The fae's reflexes, strength, and skill were all in excess of the injured rogue's, but sheer surprise at an opponent with no survival instinct at all held him in place a fraction of a second too long. The Fae and his weapon exploded into a rainbow blast that permeated the surrounding area, warping and twisting the trees, rocks, and snow, and Nero dropped to his knees as the pain in his gut spread out to overwhelm him, too tired and hurt to care about the hobgoblins rushing him. That's it, then. Sorry, Princess, but I had to take him out. His life didn't quite flash before his eyes, but the last few months did, as the hobgoblins seemed to move so... slowly. So it's possible to succeed... if you look at the big picture. If you're willing to make sacrifices... do what you have to. He took one more shuddering breath. That's... infuriating. I'd give anything for one more chance. Anything to stay in the game!

And there, in that frozen moment in time, he heard a voice. "Is that so?"

[Jade_Tarem]

NOW

"OhhhhHHHHHhhhhh." Meander facepalmed. "Yeah, okay. So that's how he met up with Locke prior to-"

"Yeah." Hadassi shrugged. "Not so much the precision timing you thought, eh? It was pretty much bound to happen sooner or later."

"Don't remind me." The Sidereal dug out a bulging pouch that jingled. "Here. For your trouble."

The errant Terrestrial waved it away. "Pssh. I love what I do, that's all the pay I need."

Meander peered over his glasses at the recipient. "Trust me on this, you're going to need it soon. As a side note, try not to be in your house this coming Mercuryday."

"F*cking Dragons, Harbinger, when you put it that way..." Hadassi took the money and took a look at the contents, resisting the urge to whistle. "That serious?"

"At least. We're all going to be affected, make no mistake. I expect a good account of it from you, but that really is a story for another time. I have an appointment..."

"You-" Hadassi looked up, but Meander was already gone, or at least appeared to be. Just in case he wasn't, the Dragon-Blooded finished. "-too. Make sure King Titus knows what he's doing. I don't intend to be tellin' stories outside of Fate!" He took another look in the bag, wondering how much he'd be able to move out of his house before Mercuryday. He was getting too old for this, he mused as he turned back in toward the village, but at least he was getting better compensation for it now. He was already working on a draft of the tale to come. It would be the greatest story - and possibly the last.

The Vision of Light
Second Story: The Zenith of Hyperbole
Episode 5: Enter: Locke of Fables

NOW

Mnemon Elrit had gotten to like this class. They were studious and quiet for the most part, and usually asked intelligent questions. Today, too, they were on time. "Excellent, everyone is here." While still not showing her age, Elrit occasionally felt it. She had lived through some of this, after all, and now it was being taught as establishing antiquated history. "When we last left off..."

THEN

Caelia stared out the window, though to be honest there wasn't that much to see now that the Semper Pro Tempore was up to flank speed. More interesting, really, was the fact that the ship was big enough to have a lounge. More interesting than that was that Waterfall Design was there instead of the built-in workshop, or repairing the damage it had taken. Of all people, Caelia would have pegged Nova as the one most in need of a stiff drink right now. Being marginally familiar with elephants, Caelia elected to bring up the one in the room, especially as Titus seemed content not to. "So what's got you so down, Mako?"

"You *are* joking, I hope." Waterfall Design sighed. "You know what happened to-"

NOW

"Yes, Miss Nellens?"

"Professor, I think those are the notes for your second-semester class."

Elrit looked at her notes. "Oh, so they are. One moment..."

THEN

"Of course you have," Shaia laughed. "Locke, this is Titus."

Locke gave her a blank look.

"From Shadowholt."

"He followed me here from Shadowholt?" Locke suddenly seemed alarmed. She glided over to him, and Titus noticed something. She'd been astoundingly pretty before, kind of like Shaia, but now she was beyond that. She was Myxia pretty, almost inhumanly so. The riot of colorful robes she wore and the festive opera-mask she had on did nothing to conceal that, and then she took the mask off, placing it in Titus's hands to gaze seriously into his eyes with her perfect face, taking a deep breath as she did so. "Listen. I know the time we had together was special to you, but like I told you before, I'm not interested in pursuing a mortal dalliance, and you have a life to get back to-"

"Titus is a Solar now, Locke." The Joybringer said, through an astonishing double-facepalm.

"Ohthankgoodness." The other Solar let out the rest of her breath in a rush, replacing the mask. "Sorry, this happens more often than you'd think, and it's always terrible to burst a mortal's bubble like that."

[Astro_sol]

Titus

The response Locke got was a raised eyebrow and a wry grin. Titus realized that exposure to very pretty ladies (un?)fortunately got you used to such things, and he found it was much easier to concentrate after Nova's teachings of constant awareness. If Locke was being this pretty, she was trying to be that pretty. So, he'd ignore it.

"I don't know why you'd be surprised at the thought of me following you anyway. Last I checked, it seemed like you were trying to get me to follow you. Something about some really big artifact. Our "special time" was you seeking information about the fall of Emdar as I kept watch for Dragonbloods. I'd be more inclined to believe that you followed me, to be honest." He tilted his head. "What are you doing here, anyway? Still recruiting for your artifact thingy?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"No, no, no... I mean yes, I am! I mean, what caste are you?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus snorted at her response. Ezri had Locke on the mark. "The fighting kind. I got the Charms that make the people fall down." He scratched the back of his head, still smiling. "You aren't mad because of how everyone is blaming you for Kaizoku dying, are you?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"I don't get it, why would I be mad about that?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus

The answer wasn't completely unexpected, but it was a relief nonetheless...if she was telling the truth. But she probably was. "Oh, well, I didn't know how you'd feel about the extra attention and all. Since it was kinda my fault. Kinda. I didn't really tell anyone anything, they just kind of assumed you did it. And I didn't really feel like correcting them..." He shook his head. "Right, so, why're you here? Has Nova come by yet?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Locke raised an eyebrow as Shaia added a palm to her face, which was remarkable as she had already used both hands, and had to recruit a temple acolyte to help. "Back up, here. You killed Peleps Atarove? You just straight-murdered the Realm liaison to the Linowan, the current up-and-coming scion of the Kaizoku family, precipitating a succession crisis with the Realm's naval bastion, a power scramble inside House Peleps, and most importantly, a renewal of the Wyld Hunt that's been dogging my ass for the last two years that was a hair's breadth away from being called off? This was you?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus

Titus responded the only way he knew how: shrugging, and avoiding a sheepish look. "I was kind of rescuing my family from slavery, and I wasn't thinking of any of that. It wasn't like I was trying to go out of my way to ruin the Realm. At the time, it was either her or me, and I honestly wasn't expecting to live. I was just buying time. And then she died." He stopped scratching his head. "Again, sorry they blamed you. There weren't really any witnesses or anything. I wouldn't have killed any, even if there were."

[Jade_Tarem]

Locke seems to deflate. "Yeah, of course. There's always a reason..." She suddenly perks up. "You! You could help... if you're serious about being sorry for all this trouble. I never got to Nexus before I was headed off by the Wyld Hunt, but you could fend 'em off long enough to reach the city. And the Wyld Hunt isn't allowed to operate inside Nexus! Besides, there may well be something there that you want anyway. If I was willing to hire you as a mortal, I'd be willing to partner with you as a Solar. Think about it - there's a ton of stuff buried in the Scavenger Lands that's too dangerous for the Scavenger Lords to handle, but I'm willing to give it a shot. What do you say to that? And remember: you owe me!" She punctuates that with a wink, but something about her still seems serious.