[Exalted] Protectors of the River Province

[Academia Nut]

Ake cursed under his breath as the shots got in. He had underestimated his foes slightly.

Taking a quick glance about him, Ake considered his options before he grinned slightly. This was not enough. It was not enough to just stand here, to just endlessly attack, parry, counter, accepting what hits he could in exchange for inflicting greater damage on his enemies. He needed to do more. He had decided to let his essence flow so spectacularly because he knew that others would be watching. He knew that this would guide the Wyld Hunt to him eventually, but he was Exalted. He was a Zenith. He could hide when he wanted to, it was not in his nature to hide forever.

He was an avatar of the sun ascendant. Clouds might pass between him and shadow the world below, but he was meant to fill the hearts of those looking up at him with fire, passion, and hope. He was meant to be the hero that inspired others. He had to be larger than life, he had to do things that mortals would look at in awe.

Grinning, he thrust out his lance, but not at either one of the undead abominations that had crawled out of the water. No, his lance struck out at the rigging of the ship, slicing off a rope attached to the yard arm and then catching it with the flanges of his spear head. Hauling back with one hand, he arrested the motion of his lance right at the head of the weapon with his right hand while catching the rope with his left.

Incidentally the butt of his spear was now resting on the steering wheel for the ship, hooked under the rope he had tied to it to keep it from moving. Smiling with a broad, mischevious grin at the enemy, he kicked back with his right leg, forcing his lance up sharply, breaking the steering wheel free of the guide and sending it spinning.

The boat lurched one way, the yard arm lurched the opposite direction, and Ake kicked out with both feet in the direction the rope was now pulling him.

[The Nomad]

Ake's trajectory allowed him to pierce through the chest and flank of the slack-jawed nemissaries, shredding the two undead in two and sending their parts sinking into the cold, dark waters of the Yanaze.

Meanwhile, Kolth's vigorous swimming brought him within hailing distance of the radiant Zenith's boat.

[Academia Nut]

The tension in the line pulled Ake up off the deck just as he jumped off the ship, swinging him out over the water's of the river. Repositioning his lance such that he held it close to his side as if he were charging with it. Sweeping in a long circle, it quickly tightened up as the line was restrained by the rigging, speeding Ake up as it brought him back to the ship. He let out a long, high spirited whoop of joy as the wind whipped through his hair and he skimmed above the water in his insane charge, trailing golden fire like comet blazing across the sky.

Coming in at an angle the undead had not been able track, Ake slammed into one, flaring his anima banner right as he came in for the final approach the lion with the sunburst that was his symbol seeming to roar and rear up just as he struck, his lance travelling straight through the torso of one of his foes and into the flank of the other.

Ripping his lance out of the messy pile of meat, he grinned at the utterly shocked foe and said, "Tell your master Ake comes," before he removed its head with a flourish of his lance.

Grinning, he allowed the glow of his anima banner begin to die down while he flicked off the blood from his lance. He then started to gather together the pieces of his fallen foes. Expending a small fragment of his own personal pool of essence to purify the bodies, consuming them with golden fire to ensure that they would never again be inhabited by the restless dead. It was the very least he could do.

[SirNitram]

Finished herding the paniced villagers back home, Orduin walked slowly back to the water's edge. The wound was still there, but thankfully sealed easily enough. He'd just need some time on his back..

"If everyone's done running around in such a rush, it seems we completed the objective."

[LadyTevar]

"Ew." That was the extent of Teamhair's thoughts on the gooey remains of the cloud Ysela had just sliced apart. "Nice blow," she said to the Dawn Caste, still swathed in his anima banner. Her own anima banner was still flashing silver foxes in a dizzying pattern. Both would take time to die down, as would the noon-tide glow that came from the smaller boat.

She directed his attention towards the sight. "I'm beginning to think the Stars are laughing at us, Ysela. If that's a Zenith, we may have our Circle back." Then she frowned slightly, her ears lowering quizzically as she wondered why she put it that way. Something teased her memory, fainter than the flashes she'd seen before. Did she know this new Solar? Would he have memories of them?

"I think we should help him to shore," she said uncertainly, looking from the Zenith's small vessel over to where Orduin's banner lit the bank of the river, illuminating the bodies of the slain and the faces of the living. "I need to make sure Orduin's going to heal properly, as well."

[rhoenix]

Having reached within shouting distance of the boat before the newcomer finished off the nemissaries and landed calmly back on his boat, Kolth simply tread water at this point, seeing no need to continue at full effort. "Hey, new guy!" he shouted toward the occupant of the boat, who happened to be still glowing like a strong lantern. "Button down the light or you'll bring the Wild Hunt out here, and they don't come armed with hugs, kisses and bunnies this time of night!"

Grinning once, he swam back toward where the black ship had sunk, and dove again, bringing back the rudder and the ship's steering wheel back to shore one at a time as proof of its sinking. Once he'd finished, he stood on the shore, looking briefly at the newcomer's boat before carrying both items back to the Storm Herald.

[Academia Nut]

Having noted the voice yelling at him after he had run the enemies through, Ake merely nodded towards the water in the direction of the voice. He had already let some of the energy begin bleeding away, but it would take further time for his anima to settle down fully.

Once he had finished disposing of the mortal remains he could find, with some difficulty, Ake noted that his little stunt had put him rather off course. Looking over things, he considered attempting to make repairs and then getting the boat settled in nicely. He then shrugged and grabbed the simple stone anchor, throwing it overboard. Gathering up his gear he made sure it was well secured before he leapt from the rocking boat into the water.

Swimming to shore at his own pace while continuing to burn with golden fire that shone through the water to mark his travel, he then squelched up on to shore and asked, "Does anyone need any help?"

He then glanced over his shoulder at where the boat was now rocking back and forth, shedding forward momentum and velocity from the current as the anchor ground into the bottom of the river. He added on sheepishly, "Or a slightly damaged boat?"

[SirNitram]

"I think we've done what we can here." Orduin said skeptically. "Glowing brightly doesn't reassure the locals, and well, we both did that. As for a boat..." A glance was sent to the Storm Herald.

"Orduin Balkinor, Lookshy's Fourth Assault Recon."

[Academia Nut]

Bowing slightly, Ake said, "Greetings Orduin, I am Ake. I do apologize if I frightened anyone with the lightshow, but I judged by the animas I could already see that stealth had been abandoned so the benefits appeared to outweigh the drawbacks. I was fighting the undead so, I felt that the boost would be worth it. Things appear to have calmed down some, but I do wonder at what happened here."

[LadyTevar]

The Storm Herald was now close enough to shore that Teamhair could disembark without the fancy tricks. Silver light shown around her, a half-moon glowing upon her brow, the graceful lady with the fox-red hair (and fox-ears, if one looked closely) crossed to Ordiun's side. She looked at the new Solar curiously. "I am Moonlight-Dances-on-the-River," she said, giving her Lunar title first, unchanged from her first Exaultation centuries past. "Or you may call me Teamhair Tahalshia."

Again, she wondered if she knew -- remembered -- this one. There were only vague feelings about him.

[Academia Nut]

Smirking slightly, Ake bowed to Teamhair and said, "Well good lady, if you want to know what name I went by in the past, I do believe it went by something along the lines of 'The Hunt Leader Who Pursues Those Who Hide in Shadow' -although I am a bit fuzzy on the latter bit- but as I have no one to lead these days I do believe just Ake will suffice. Although earning back the old title might be nice."

[The Nomad]

At the mention of the man's former name, memories flashed in Teamhair's mind, frantic hunts across hundreds of miles, slaying otherworldly entities crawling out of the Underworld or the Wyld... sometimes even Malfeas.

[SirNitram]

"One of the Deathknights came to claim a village." Orduin said simply, shrugging a bit as he bound his wound. "We were here to put a stop to him and his ship. We saved as many of the villagers as we could, destroyed his ship, and you met his pals."

The Lookshyian shrugged. "Objective completed, but damn if I don't wish I had been more effective in that fight."

[Academia Nut]

"I assume then that he escaped across the water via some other means, and/or by some form of sorcery. If the former, a pity you could not pin him on dry ground and press the engagement. Although if you stopped him today, I wonder what that means for tomorrow," Ake mused. He then glanced out over the frightened villagers and said sadly, "I know next to nothing of the deathknights, but I do remember villians from the First Age and I wonder whether he will mark you or these innocents more highly for revenge."

[LadyTevar]

The memories came with the announcement of his name. She'd followed him, more than once, upon a hunt both with and without Orduin beside her. It was one of the Hunts Orduin hadn't been on that caused her to blush as that particular memory played out. She hoped Orduin -still- didn't know about that one.

"The Huntsman," she stammered. "The Stars are laughing at me again..."

[Academia Nut]

Ake looked at her and grinned broadly, before he said, "I do remember what a shameless rogue the Hunt Leader was in ages past, but I must say that certain... painful... events reminded of the problems involved with such behaviour, so while I can't claim to have much better temperance than he, I will say that Ake is not quite so eager to swim in pools of ale, if I remember that one event correctly. In any case, I do fear that I cannot remember your name good Moonlight-Dances-on-the-River, although I do apologize for good measure, whatever I might have done."

[SirNitram]

"Pools of ale?" Orduin glanced between the two. "There's a story here. But probably one for the trip back or similar. If, Ake, you have any reason to head Lookshy-way. We had best start back.. And getting out of visibility with my forehead burning like this is good for the health."

[LadyTevar]

"If it helps, I was a fox-spirit-kin back then as well," she muttered, trying to understand why -not- being remembered felt just as bad as if he -had- recalled that night ... and day ... and night again.

He'd had some stamina back then..........

"Nothing to apologise for, really," she added, thinking about that memory again.

[Academia Nut]

Ake spent a long moment wracking his long lost memory before he said with a sigh, "I do wish I could remember all of you, but the good times sort of rolled into one great big haze while the end burns much more sharply. I do not even remember if I had a wife during that time, but I do remember the face of my former Dragon Blooded lieutenant quite fiercely... and the look on his face when he struck me down. I feel I have a great deal to apologize for to those of lost ages, so it has become somewhat instinctual along with continuing to act like a bravado addled fool who constantly acts like a reckless idiot." Ake then gave a self-depreciating shrug and said, "It's who I am."

[rhoenix]

Ake then gave a self-depreciating shrug and said, "It's who I am."

Just as he did, a cloud of somewhat sweet and strong-smelling smoke wafted over to the three from the Storm Herald - Kolth had finished placing both rudder and ship's navigation wheel aboard the ship, and was now relaxing in dry clothes, and with one of his blunts alit as he unhurriedly approached the others.

"That's cool. I mostly just talk shit and cause trouble - it's who I am. Pleased to meet you - I'm Kolth."

[Academia Nut]

Taking it all in, Ake asked, "So I take it you all were working together for Lookshy? What exactly was your objective?"

[rhoenix]

Exhaling a cloud of smoke upward, forming a large ring in the night air above them, Kolth chuckled. "Yep, we were - we were hired to look at that necrophiliac who was messing with the river villages. He got away, but we sank his boat and killed off all his minions, and I think I dented his skull earlier."

"And," he said with a chuckle, "we have his ship's rudder and steering wheel as proof."

[Marcao]

His blade sang through the air and found its mark, for a second or so he could have sworn that he felt resistance as if the cloud had contracted and had been prepared to somehow defend itself against the blow. He had been mistaken. The cloud was cut in two and immediately began to sizzle, a sound that reminded him of the way fish were cooked in the land of his birth.

He had been committed to his movement and made no effort to stop half way through that motion. In the end, he stood and watched as the cloud that had threatened to choke the life out of him fell apart into small pellets of a rather foul smelling substance. He frowned, his left hand unconsciously moving to interpose itself between the odor and his nose.

"What was this thing?" He managed to whisper. Had that thing been alive? He abandoned the thought as other sounds attracted his interest. With the cloud no longer an issue, he was finally able to become more fully aware of the events that transpired around him. It was only then that he caught sight of the other, his true nature impossible to hide.

How had he...

They were in the middle of nowhere with only a handful of people in Lookshy and a few spirits aware of their intentions and yet here was another Chosen of the Sun. He should have been surprised but he was not. The designs of Heaven were something that he was quickly growing accustomed to. He wanted to reach out and help the newcomer, but he proved he hardly needed help. He had never before seen someone handle such a cumbersome weapon so skillfully before.

It was then that the Lunar spoke and he glanced in her direction. Her comment met with a slight smile before he responded. “You made it possible, without your help it would not have occurred.â€

[Academia Nut]

Ake considered the words of Kolth for a moment before Yvela spoke up, to which Ake bowed his greeting. He then chewed on his upper lip for a moment before he commented, "I find it... odd then the sequence of events that has led us here, or perhaps not, for I think that there may be other forces at work. About a week ago I was forced into the river by members of a Wyld Hunt. I thought it strange that despite my complete lack of skill with boats that I somehow escaped them. Now I wonder if perhaps someone else was hunting the Deathknight and stumbled across me. How I do not know as I'm not normally this showy unless I think I can obtain something from it.

"The question I have is this: what drew the deathknight to this village in the first place? What prey did the hunter seek, such that we might turn that into bait for our own trap if necessary?"

[LadyTevar]

"He was attacking those villages that did not already worship their ancestors," Teamhair answered with a slight frown. "Those villages who did practice it were left alive."