#okahni ic

[goddesstrolls]

>> You dart along the rooftop, crossbow bolts jutting out of both your shoulder and your calf. You handled your pursuer, but you'd still like to get out of plain sight sooner rather than later. You're in broad moonlight wearing your cloak with your hood and cowl up, someone will notice you.

>> You look before you leap, but the edge of the building happens to obscure the lone troll on the sidewalk below. You land without a sound, not so much as the scuff of a shoe on pavement- Just a slight gust of wind. But silence doesn't matter much when you've landed directly in someone's peripheral vision.

>> Shit.

@lashydsdomain

[bastsoldtrollblog]

> You sit in a covered bus stop, rain pattering on the roof. Beside you sits a very young wriggler, telling you about some stories he’s come up with for his toys, one of which he holds in his lap.

> He speaks in an unusual language for these modern nights- One long since dead and forgotten by anyone outside your very insular group.

> Your gaze flickers up over the boy’s head as someone approaches the stop, perhaps to wait for the bus or just to seek shelter from the rain. You shush him softly, and the boy turns his head to look at the stranger with wide grey eyes. He leans a little closer to you, and you put your hand on top of his head comfortingly.

[goddesstrolls]

> You sit beneath a large tree, waiting patiently.

> It’s been several weeks since you were last here, and by this point you’ve mostly healed.

> Mostly. The gash on your arm is now a fresh and angry scar, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. Sparring will do well to help you get your strength back in that hand.

> As promised, you sent your lusus to fetch Villoh. A large golden eagle- ‘Golden’ being the species and not a descriptor of his color, he’s snow-white like most lusii- Wearing a harness holding a small box. Within the box is a sheet of blank paper and small quill pen, already loaded with ink much like a considerably more convenient ballpoint pen.

> Your lusus waits patiently on some perch where Villoh will easily spot him and be able to approach.

@nihils-trolls

[goddesstrolls]

>> This is getting kind of ridiculous, and you really can't spend much more time than you have on this.

>> You've intercepted several attempts by Almata's ex to break into her hive or otherwise get to her. You'd intended to only do it the one time, figuring he'd throw in the towel after that...

>> But over the course of a week, he's tried multiple times. He doesn't seem to have anything better to do at all besides come up with bad plans to get his ex back, and then execute them.

>> Not your circus, not your monkeys, but here you are. You're going to at least ask permission before you put this down. You head towards Almata's hive, Sen following after you of his own accord.

>> People seem to react a bit better to you when Sen's nearby, and you need to ride him back anyway. You tell him to wait a few feet from the door, and then walk up and knock.

>> You're pretty sure at least one of them is hive.

@lashysdomain

[goddesstrolls]

[TW for poisoning, murder, dismemberment]

Okahni hated taking out targets in the city.

Too many prying eyes and too much light. But getting Almata's ex anywhere less populated would be more difficult, so he would just have to be careful.

The purpleblood in question had left his hive and, based on his agitated state and route, was planning on going to Almata's hive again.

Okahni's previous interceptions had made him wary, moving more cautiously and making an effort to take in his surroundings.

Ashira was waiting in an abandoned apartment on an upper floor, keeping an eye out for the purpleblood's approach. Okahni waited, clinging to a pipe above a dark, damp alley.

There came a faint sound from the gutter pipe. Two taps, then three rapid taps, a code Ashira and Okahni had established to mean the purpleblood was approaching from the south.

Okahni readied himself first, inhaling silently through his mouth as he raised his right hand. He placed his pointer and middle fingers pointing up in front of his lips, and forming a ring with his thumb, index, and pinky fingers. The Garo sign word for 'hide', but with sufficient focus it also activated a spell.

It would cloak him in darkness until the spell were dismissed, or light were shed on him. He was fairly high up, but he wanted to be certain the purpleblood would not notice him.

He shifted his position somewhat, staying on the wall with just an eighth of an inch of brick under one heel and one hand on the pipe. It was plenty steady, the brick wouldn't cave and neither would the pipe, and he wanted to have some freedom of movement.

Taking another breath, Okahni circled the center of his throat with his thumb and then drew his thumb along the bottom of his jaw, and outwards. The sign for 'speak', usually in the context of making someone speak or spill their secrets. This time, Okahni focused on Almata's voice- Activating a spell to steal it.

He'd been following this troll long enough to feel fairly confident that the idiot would fall for this trick.

Finally, he readied his dart. This time he had selected a potent poison rather than a sedative- A strong paralytic which first caused intense sweating and rapid heart rate, and then paralysis of the limbs and body. It would incapacitate him in four minutes, and kill him in ten.

Okahni had tested a range of sedatives on him during his interceptions, and felt confident that the dosage he'd chosen would work like a charm.

He spied the purpleblood's shadow passing in front of the alley entrance. He called out in a soft whisper, mimicking Almata's faltering manner of speech. Her voice came from his throat, calling the purpleblood's name.

The purpleblood's attention snapped over, and he stepped into the alley, looking around.

This was the tricky part. The alley was narrow, and hitting him with a dart in the right spot from this angle was difficult. He wouldn't have chosen this method if he didn't think he could do it, though.

Okahni threw the dart. It sunk into the side of the troll's neck near the connection to his shoulder- Right on the jugular.

Okahni also knew this troll was loud. Taking his hand from the pipe and leaning back so his own center of gravity would help keep him on the wall- Being otherwise held up by just one foot on that eighth of an inch ledge- He focused on the purpleblood and pressed the fingertips of both hands together. He formed a sort of cage with his hands, centering the form of the purpleblood below within it.

The sign for 'stop', specifically stopping whoever the sign was aimed at or was referred to after. In this case, it made the purpleblood freeze halfway through the gesture of reaching up to pull the dart from his neck. He couldn't speak, and could only do as much as breathe and move his eyes.

It would only hold for ten seconds if Okahni dropped it. He held the gesture, pain lancing through his temple.

He would have to hold it for at least a minute, if not more. The pain spread slowly, spearing red-hot through his arms and boring its way through his head. He could see the purpleblood suffering, too- Sweat breaking out on his face and dripping down his jaw, his eyes bulging as the poison took hold.

Finally, the purpleblood's eyes rolled. Okahni held the gesture for another few seconds before releasing it; It would hold for ten more seconds after that.

Exhaling slowly and carefully from the exertion, Okahni dropped down to the still-frozen purpleblood. He waited for the cage spell to release and caught the unconscious troll as he collapsed, and dragged him to the back of the alley.

He crouched between the purpleblood and the alley entrance. His shadow spell would cloak the purpleblood as well and help prevent them from being noticed.

The minutes crawled by. Okahni's limbs ached, nerves stripped raw from the ancient magic he'd used, but he was pleased to have been able to use the signs. It was the first time he'd used the sign of the mockingbird- The spell he'd used to steal Almata's voice.

Several trolls passed by the alley. One spared a passing glance but did not seem to notice anything amiss- Likely seeing only empty shadows.

After eight minutes he checked the purpleblood's pulse. He wasn't breathing and his face had gone purple, eyes half-lidded and rolled back. His heart was still beating, but barely.

Okahni waited until he couldn't detect any signs of life, not breath nor a heartbeat, and then paused to listen for footsteps on the street outside.

He rapped his knuckle once on the gutter. After a moment, another ping followed from Ashira; Confirmation that there was no one nearby.

Okahni hauled the purpleblood onto his shoulders, and scaled the wall into the apartment where Ashira waited.

Okahni dragged the purpleblood to the bathroom and hung him from ropes anchored from the ceiling before slitting him open, and letting him bleed into the tub.

While the troll bled, Okahni returned to the empty apartment and began making himself some tea. Inundated with magic, it would soothe his nerves aching from magic usage. He heated the water simply by cradling the kettle in his hands, and then brewed the tea.

Ashira watched with rapt attention, and Okahni quietly walked them through the steps- Heating the water to the perfect temperature, steeping the tea for the proper amount of time.

He'd done this multiple times, but Ashira knew by this point that he would repeat himself a lot. Learning to brew tea correctly was just the first step in learning to create one's own poisons and medicines.

The tea was pale gold in color and glowing faintly. The warm drink did indeed, soothe his aches, and Ashira had some tea too, trying to repress their expression at the taste and attempting to find something to enjoy about it.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to hide that much, at least." Okahni mused around the rim of his cup. Ashira made a face at their cup of tea.

They quietly enjoyed their tea, and then Okahni went over the poisons he had on his person with Ashira. He'd gone over them before, but now he was going over specific ones in more detail, discussing how they were made and exactly what they did to the troll body- And explaining how this was important to know when choosing a poison.

After more than an hour, Okahni got up to check on the purpleblood. A decent amount of his blood had drained, and Okahni took out one of his larger daggers to begin hacking the troll apart.

Ashira took each piece and wrapped it in waxed paper, tying it with thread to form a parcel, and stowed them in a waxed bag. Once the purpleblood was rendered completely into neatly packed pieces, Okahi used what little water remained in the pipes to rinse the blood off the tub and his hands. Ashira did the same at the sink.

Okahni removed the heaviest parts to carry himself, hiding them in various places in his cloak. Eventually Ashira lifted the satchel.

"It's good." They whispered- It was light enough for them to carry. Okahni nodded.

"Let's go."

Okahni and Ashira took their leave out of separate windows, taking different routes out of the city.

Once Okahni reached the trees, he whistled for Siima, who already wore his harness with a small box which contained some paper and a pen.

He wrote a note:

"The task is done. He will not bother you further."

He didn't sign it. He gave the note to Siima, and directed him to fly to Almata to deliver the news.

[goddesstrolls]

Okahni found himself sitting across the hearth from multiple older trolls- Village elders who had gathered upon hearing the news that a mysterious troll claiming to be a Garo warrior turned up.

It was clear that this other village had been here for a long time- Longer even, than Okahni's village. According to the elders, it was the original village of the Garo.

Okahni knew that the village had moved after the fall of Tanikar Kingdom, but apparently it was a closer wager that some had only branched off from the main village.

A massive earthquake had cut off the two villages from each other- The elders in front of Okahni told him they thought the secondary village had been destroyed in it, and it couldn't be found- Too well hidden, it turned out.

It was decided that another warrior and an elder would return with Okahni to the secondary village to re-establish contact.

The main village was large- Three times larger than Okahni's village, though it had partially been destroyed well before Okahni was hatched- And just at a glance, Okahni wagered that more than a few of the residents were warriors.

Meaning he was not the last. Far from it.

It was a lot to take in.

But he did feel some kind of relief. Like a tight knot loosening in his chest. The slightest weight lifting from his shoulders. If something happened to him, there would be others.

He wished Ashtir were here to see it.

[goddesstrolls]

Okahni squinted into the cavernous darkness yawning ahead of him, and then released Sen's reins.

He had been asked to investigate a recently opened tunnel, and it took him near twelve hours to traverse. It did not, as the stoneworkers feared, lead to the Hall of the Dead, but rather towards and then away from it.

During the Kingdom's peak, many tunnels had been carved out by the Garo, hidden paths across the city. Okahni would believe this to be one such tunnel if it didn't lead away from the Kingdom- Off in a direction that he had no knowledge of there ever being a settlement.

But here, there was an unexpected cavern at the end of the long tunnel. What Okahni did expect, was that any settlement that had been here was long since destroyed, or at least abandoned. It had been sealed off from the Kingdom for centuries, a source of supplies even in its extended decay.

"Stay, Sen." Okahni commanded his mount, and the deer tossed its head at him to indicate it had heard.

He moved onward through the dark cavern. A handful of giant, faintly glowing crystals jutted from the walls and ceiling. They seemed to collect water- Purposefully attuned to it by trolls, perhaps- And from them water dripped, collecting in blue pools glowing with soft light.

Okahni stopped to drink and fill his canteen from one of these deeper pools. The crystals assured that the water was not only clean, it was imbued with a small amount of magic.

He wandered in the near pitch dark, not daring to light a torch. The cavern had many tunnels branching from it, forming an extensive natural maze.

Okahni sensed the troll tailing him first, a shift in the cavern air, the presence of life. It didn't take long for him to notice a trap set for him- A line of black powder, set in such a way that even he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been on guard.

That was usually a trick of Garo warriors to cage their marks. Okahni made to move into it as though he hadn't noticed, but set his foot on the powder as he passed. It erupted into flame, a far more explosive burst than the powder was capable of on its own, and he saw a troll who had been hidden in the shadows, now flinching away from the sudden explosion.

The troll was hooded, garbed clearly as a Garo warrior. That which, up until that moment, Okahni thought he was the very last.

[goddesstrolls]

Okahni slipped from the roof, in through the window of an abandoned hive. Ashira followed him, much clumsier and requiring a hand from him.

"I'm never gonna get that down..." Mumbled Ashira.

"You're nimble enough. You'll get it." Okahni replied, padding past them as he listened to the rest of the building. It didn't sound like anyone had entered while they were out.

Ashira fumbled with the belt holding their training swords on their hips. Okahni spied a car parked in the street below that hadn't been there before. It wasn't strange, but he recognized it; That was Almata's, wasn't it?

Perhaps it wasn't. He wasn't exactly an expert at identifying vehicles.

No- There was the wolf's print sticker on the dashboard, and a water bottle in between the front seats. It was hers.

He'd left her a scarf at her hive earlier in the week, something simple he had asked one of the villager craftsfolk to make while he was there. They'd already had the fabric on hand and all that was needed was to dye it.

Perhaps it was out of line, to find out where she lived in order to leave something to thank her. He didn't really expect to meet her again, though.

Ashira trotted over to see what he was looking at. As they did, Okahni saw someone step out onto the street.

"Careful." He hissed, warning them. "There's someone on the street."

He stepped back himself, behind the safety of the wall beside the window. Ashira did the same. Okahni leaned slightly to peer around the edge of the window frame. It was unnecessarily cautious, he had oil darkening his skin and the hive was dark, but he was mostly teaching Ashira by example. And they followed his example.

"A mirror would be more likely to catch the light and be visible here," murmured Okahni. "Since it's dark, it's safer to look this way."

"Got it," whispered Ashira. Okahni spied a troll approaching Almata's car- A purpleblood wearing face paint, scruffy and unkempt. The man looked around, hesitating as though waiting- Before getting down and crawling beneath the vehicle.

Okahni narrowed his eyes. This was why cars were a liability. He was probably stealing some part from it.

Still, he watched until the man removed himself from under the car, looked around again, and began to leave. His hands were suspiciously empty.

Okahni considered leaving a note for Almata- But it didn't seem that the man had successfully stolen anything.

"What was he doing?" Whispered Ashira.

"I don't know." Okahni replied. "That car belongs to the seadweller from before."

He stepped away from the window. He'd promised Ashira more training, and there didn't seem to be much reason to stand around and keep watch.

"Come on." Okahni said, going to the few supplies he had hidden here. "Let's have something to eat."

[goddesstrolls]

-Bonks Okahni- Stop thinking so much

>> Huh??

>> Why is that an issue? It's good to be thorough, isn't it? It's not like you're wasting precious time thinking, or being overly paranoid--

==> You proceed to overthink this.

[goddesstrolls]

Okahni crouched in the bushes, over a small ring of stones encircling a bowl full of fresh blood.

He listened intently for signs that someone might approach; This was just a patch of woodland amidst the urban sprawl, and it being the middle of the night, there were plenty of trolls around.

Satisfied that he was alone, he gestured a hand over the stones, guiding the magic as he murmured the rites of the spell. Runes carved on the stones glowed faintly, indicating that at least something had happened, and then he plucked the stones from the ground.

He tucked them away in the many inner pockets of his cloak, and then retrieved a brush, dipping it in the blood and beginning to draw runes on his skin.

He covered every inch of his arms in runes, and then he mixed some of the blood with a black powder. This, he smudged on his face, over his eyes and across his brow until every bit of skin of his upper face had been covered.

Okahni then brought the bowl to his lips, and poured what little blood remained into his mouth but did not swallow it. He wiped the bowl clean, and then put it away in his cloak.

He pulled his gaiter over the lower half of his face, and wound black bandages around his arms and hands, hiding every bit of rune-marked skin. He pulled up his hood, checked that his swords were secure at his hips, and straightened.

Listening intently to his surroundings, he moved through the trees towards a nearby building. It was a dark night, and that was to his benefit.

He scaled the building with ease, the rough concrete providing decent enough footholds. With another glance around, he determined no one had seen him, and then he moved towards a protrusion on the building’s rooftop. A vent jutted out from it, and that he made his way towards.

The vent cover was simply screwed in place, but he had no need of removing them. Hot air blasted out of it, but that was the least of his concerns.

Okahni gestured by drawing a line with his fingertip from the top of his brow, down the bridge of his nose. Beneath the bandages, the runes of blood he had drawn glowed slightly. Starting from his arms, his form became incorporeal; He slipped through the vent cover, his arms becoming corporeal again within moments and he braced against the sides of the vent. The rest of his body became corporeal in suit, leaving him quite solid within the vent. He began to crawl, slowly, careful to distribute his weight so he did not warp the metal and make much noise.

Having already plotted out his course, it didn’t take him long to find his destination at the end of the vent system. He peered through the gaps in the cover, and to his surprise, found no one in the room beyond.

Making the same gesture as before, drawing an invisible line from his brow down the bridge of his nose, he again became incorporeal and passed through the cover. He landed silently on the floor, corporeal by the time he landed.

The room was small, and cramped, one wall taken up by an expanse of multiple screens displaying camera feeds, and a closed laptop sitting on a light desk. From what he’d heard, someone was meant to be in this room at all times, and the fact that there was no one indicated that someone was bound to be back soon.

But at least he didn’t have to kill anyone. He’d expected to have to.

Okahni slid over to the door and drew in a breath through his nose, and began to run his fingertips slowly over the gap between the door and the frame.

The metal of both parts melted and fused. A slight gust of cool wind blowing in through the gap both cooled the metal, and brought any smoke that might have escaped and been noticed by someone outside into the small room. Okahni brought his fingers all the way around the frame, leaving space only for the electronic lock.

Then he turned his attention to the screens behind him, taking in the camera feeds and the information he needed from them, before gesturing over his face once more to become incorporeal and climbing back into the vent.

He moved along slowly until he reached his second destination. This one was a ten foot drop to the vent cover below.

Using his limbs to brace himself against the sides of the vent, Okahni inched his way down, and then made himself incorporeal again at the bottom.

He peeked carefully through, and finding the room below empty, slipped entirely through the vent. He flipped mid-air and landed silently on his feet.

Distant voices carried from another room. He glanced towards them, listening for a moment, before looking up towards a camera mounted on the wall of the large, open room.

He knew from the feed that none of them currently could see him, and that the camera he was looking at was trained on his desired path and target. Fortunately, it was the only one.

Okahni made a swift gesture in the air, an invisible cutter rushing towards the camera. The cutter sliced the camera into neat pieces, and with another gesture, the pieces lowered themselves to the ground- Carried by a strong draft of wind, carefully manipulated so it did not whistle or rush against the wall.

With the camera taken care of, Okahni darted to his target: A Tanikar artifact stolen by the Empire hundreds of sweeps ago.

He retrieved the brush he had used to draw the runes on his skin, and pushed it carefully between his lips, dipping it in the blood still held in his mouth. Then he gestured to become incorporeal, and moved his hand through the glass of the display.

Okahni drew runes on the artifact- A necklace- Repeating this process a few times until he had drawn enough. Then he put the brush away, and phased his hand through the glass again. This time, when he put his hand on the artifact and focused, it became incorporeal as well. Having to activate the spell to first reach through the glass and contact the necklace, it had to be activated again on the necklace itself in order to become incorporeal until he was holding it.

He pulled the artifact through the glass, and tucked it into his cloak. Voices still carried from the other room, but they were growing more distant. His work now finished, Okahni returned to the spot beneath the vent. 

He jumped upwards- Forming a brief platform of air beneath his feet as he reached the fullest height of his leap, and then springing off that until he reached the vent. He activated the spell to become incorporeal and slipped through the vent cover.

Okahni left the same way he’d entered, climbing out through the vent on the roof and then jumping down from the building. He escaped into the woods of the park surrounding the museum, entirely unnoticed.

[goddesstrolls]

> Guns are annoying.

> At the cost of a bullet in your shoulder, you discovered that it’s possible to hide one in a prosthetic arm. You half-wonder if you should just bite the bullet (pun intended) and do your research into modern weaponry and prosthetics just to avoid this. You got lucky the last time, seeing as the gun was very very small and left nothing more than a mild burn, but this time you’re far worse off.

> It’s just after sunset, the sky is still light and most trolls aren’t even awake. It’s a rainy day to boot, and the thick cloud cover and rainfall grants you some additional protection from the harsh sun.

> You dart along a high rooftop and jump down onto the roof of a small, abandoned hovel with surprisingly little sound, and slip in through a broken window.

> Only to discover the hive is not empty as you had left it an hour or so prior. You had scoped this place out to assure no one had been here within the past week, and yet, in just the past hour, someone’s come in. Perhaps seeking shelter from the sinking sun, or the rain, or both. Or perhaps scoping out the place in search of hidden treasures, like...Broken furniture and rubble, or something.

> You freeze- Awaiting a response.

[goddesstrolls]

Hone the Blade

Okahni sat in front of the hearth, watching the flames dancing in the fireplace.

He had spent the past few weeks settling into the cabin; Cleaning, securing the hive against the elements, preparing firewood, and other such tasks. He had more than enough to occupy himself.

And at the same time, he considered himself. Only now, did he finally have time to legitimately meditate.

Since Ashtir’s death he had thrown himself into his duty to his people, making himself into a sacrifice. He had accepted inevitable failure in the grand scheme of his duty. And then he flirted with death, making empty promises of caution while seeking the ultimate absolution of his burden.

This burden, the future of his clan and kingdom, was not his alone to bear. But he had taken it upon himself, desperate to be worthy of pride placed in him- To shake the pity in the depths of the villager’s eyes when they looked at him.

He was willingly breaking himself. That was not what anyone wanted for him.

Ashtir had taught him- Reiterated many times in many ways, that what made a courageous and honorable man was his understanding of himself. The ability to reflect, grow, and adapt. 

The best blades were those that could bend, flex to better cleave the enemy. The truest arrows were those that wavered as they flew.

From the perspective of an outsider, this thinking had little apparent effect. It was simply a small shift in his approach, a nudge in another direction. But it wasn’t all he had come here for.

He wanted to train, too. To place honing his body and his mind hand-in-hand, because that was truly the Garo warrior’s way. That was what Ashtir wanted to teach him above all else; Mindfulness of one’s physical and emotional state.

Maybe it was only fueled by his feelings of frustration and inferiority to Villoh. He'd have to consider her role in his decision to retreat...

...Okahni had a long few perigees ahead of him.

[goddesstrolls]

okahni, what's it like to be dating a real life rainbow drinker

"-- ...NO different thAn it wOuld be tO dAte AnyOne else? --"

[goddesstrolls]

“Well, you’re doing better.” Shavil remarked. Okahni relaxed his posture. The compliment was quite neutral considering he had just disarmed her of both weapons.

“You’re picking up wind dancer nicely. And you’re incorporating fire into it, making it your own, which is impressive. So, I think it’s time you learned the real wind dancer technique.”

Okahni looked to her, taking in her cloaked posture; She seemed resolute. “So, you feel I’m ready for the wind trial?”

“Do you feel you’re ready?”

“Yes.”

Now it was Shavil’s turn to study him, and then she tilted her head in her faceless way of indicating a smirk. “You’ve been ready since the fire trial, huh? I just had to teach you the sword work.”

Okahni didn’t respond. Shavil used her foot to dust off the ground and picked up a nearby rock, beginning to draw with it.

“The wind trial takes place on the wind plane, go figure. Like the fire trial, even if you make it back through brute force, that won’t necessarily be a success. Unlike the fire trial, if you succumb to the wind, your death won’t be an easy one. You’ll be falling endlessly until you starve to death, and then your body will keep falling until you rot- Well, you get it.”

Shavil waved a hand airily, before resuming to draw an arcane circle on the ground. She finished after a moment, and then straightened and stood back.

“I don’t think I have to give the same lecture as before.” Shavil clasped her hands together, bowing her head. The arcane circle on the ground lit up, and the inner ring vanished, replaced with an empty vastness extending downwards. Watery daylight shone through the portal, and the wind whistled eerily against its edges.

“This one only lasts as long as it takes you.” Shavil said. “The first challenge is landing on the right spot. Just jump in.”

Okahni leaned to peer into the portal. Through it, he saw nearly nothing but an endless expanse of pallid sky. Far below, he could see rocks seemingly floating in thin air, a trail of islands in a sea of mist.

Shavil seemed to be waiting. He paused to take a breath, and then moved to take his swords off his hips.

“If I don’t make it back, I’d like these to go to Villoh.” He said, going to hand them to Shavil.

“You really like that girl, don’t you?”

Okahni didn’t respond, instead setting his sights on the portal, and leapt in.

Gaze focused on the rocks below him, he plummeted downwards. The wind squalled around him, shrieking in his ears and threatening to throw off his downward path; He shifted his limbs to align himself so that he landed on one of the floating rocks. The fall wasn’t too hard despite the height, upwards gusts lessening his plummet, but the rocks weren’t as stable as he’d hoped. They wobbled and shifted as he landed on them, and he struggled to regain his balance.

He dared to glance upwards from where he’d fallen from, spying the small black hole floating a field of white that stretched into infinity.

Okahni took a breath, looking at the rocks trailing ahead of him. None of the jumps he needed to make looked impossible, even though the rocks were somewhat unsteady-

-Though as he gauged the next leap, a sudden gust of wind threatened to knock him off the rock he stood on. He wavered, nearly slipping off of it. It was slick with moss and moisture, and some stones scattered loose under his feet and fell into the empty whiteness below.

Hastily regaining his balance, Okahni took a breath and recalculated, trying to relax.

He took another breath, closing his eyes for a moment, taking in the movement and the whistling of the wind around him. And then he leapt, his feet landing on the next wobbling stone.

Okahni wavered slightly again, another gust threatening to push him off. He regained his balance easier this time, and leapt to the next stone, and then the next.

He slipped on the one after, a gust of wind nudging him to the side enough that his foot did not quite finding as solid purchase as he expected. His side grazed the stone as he dropped and he caught his arm on it, gripping the floating boulder with his other hand as his legs swung precariously beneath him.

Arms shaking, Okahni’s gaze flickered about as he searched for other grips with which to climb up, as this position was not stable. Realizing he’d have to push himself up, he put downward force on the stone and hoped it would hold.

He thanked the spirits that it did, clambering somewhat awkwardly back onto the stone and getting his feet back under him. Okahni took another breath, trying to take in the wind again and soothe his frazzled nerves before continuing.

Breathing carefully, evenly, he focused not only on his surroundings, but himself, and the wind around him.

As he moved, it began to feel like the wind was blowing through him, like he was part of it. He’d felt this with the trial of fire, slowly, once he’d managed to calm down.

Either the wind began to move with him, or he simply began to move with the wind, but each leap grew easier. The distance between the stones grew, and but the breeze carried his feet to each one.

It was a test of endurance, too, he realized, as the stones seemed to stretch on forever with no end. He would likely be doing this for hours.

Okahni knew without a shadow of a doubt, that he could. The wind was with him, now.

[goddesstrolls]

Shavil folded her arms under her long cloak.

“Well, it’s not working because your magic is weak, boy. Not that I blame you for it, all things considered.”

Okahni stared at the spirit of his ancestor, currently occupying empty garments as though there were a body within them. His expression was flat; Trying to mask his frustration. It sounded very much like she was blaming him.

“Don’t look at me like that. With my blood, you should have plenty of aptitude. You just need to awaken it.” Shavil grumbled.

“I think you would have a better idea of how to do that than I would.” Okahni said, trying to keep the exasperation from his tone.

“Yes, right. The awakening trials are... Difficult. Typically, you’d perform nightly rituals for sweeps and sweeps to increase your aptitude and then tackle the trial of your chosen element. But, I think you’ll be fine as you are. That’s impressive, you know!”

Her singular scrap of encouragement was not enough to outweigh the multiple insults she’d hurled at him in the two weeks since she’d started teaching him. Okahni stared coldly until she continued.

“We’ll begin with fire. What you need to do is embody the element of flame; Not just simply endure it, but take it within yourself. The trial is as much of a test of physical endurance as it is your knowledge of yourself, and your attunement to your element.”

“I understand.” Okahni nodded his head. Shavil looked him in the eye for a long moment. Her face was nothing but shadow, and a gleaming light indicating her one remaining eye.

“...Alright.” She yielded. “Come on.”

Shavil stepped out of her own tomb, and Okahni followed without a word. Silent, she lead him through the dark of the Tanakar tunnels. Gazes steeped in bloodlust followed them; The husks of fallen Garo warriors, reanimated in their regret, skulked in the shadows and watched them pass.

They passed twisted corpses, faces contorted in a terrible silent scream and eyes sunken into empty, endless sockets. They had already been felled by the very warriors that stalked them, conflicted in their desire to slaughter all, and to protect what little remained. The corpses would move again before long, resurrected again and again by the agonized souls haunting these caverns desperate for closure.

Shavil reached a doorway, on either side of which loomed decorated metal braziers. She snapped her fingers in the base of one, and flames sparked to life in both, illuminating the carving of a terrible demon’s face above the entrance. Shavil folded her arms, and fixed her gaze on him again for a long moment.

“This could kill you, Okahni.” She began. “And you and I both know what that means for the clan. I can only exist because you do. I know you’re ready for this, but...” Shavil heaved a sigh. “Don’t die, okay?”

Okahni swallowed hard, and closed his eyes. He had to muster himself to actually say what he needed to. “I won’t.”

“You’ll be closed in this room, the door won’t open until the sun sets again in a night and a day. Face your trial with honor and courage, Okahni. Remember: Don’t just endure the flame. Become one with it.”

Shavil gestured for Okahni to step inside. He did so, taking a breath as he passed under the threshold, and the face of the demon guarding it.

The stone door slammed shut behind him, plunging him into darkness. One by one, flames sparked to life in the room he was standing in; It was small, just a few feet across and a ceiling so low he could barely stand. A heart-shaped face with piercing eyes and no mouth stared through him, and beyond that, the room was empty.

Okahni seated himself in the center, and waited.

It didn’t take long for the trial to begin. The temperature in the room was steadily rising, growing thick with heat and seeming to sap the strength from Okahni’s chest. It wasn’t long before it was difficult- Then nearly impossible- To breathe, and the temperature only continued to climb.

Okahni closed his eyes, pulling his focus away from his panic at the dizziness and fear of suffocation, and turning it inwards.

It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.

[goddesstrolls]

1, 6, 8, 9, and 13 for Okahni

1.Biggest pet peeves? How much do they annoy you? Are they bad enough to be a deal breaker if someone you were interested did them? "o- NOt reAlly. I cOuld nAme Off A few things VillOh dOes, but thOse ObviOusly Aren't deAlbreAkers. -o"

"o- I guess there is 'the ObviOus', if trOlls dOn't respect Or believe me Or whAt I dO. -o"

6. What are your guilty pleasures? How would you handle it if someone found out about them? "o- ...I've never reAlly understOOd whAt thAt phrAse meAns. -o"

8. Other then your own blood color if there any color you have strong feelings for, negative or positive, and why? "o- It might be Odd if I didn't sAy jAde. FOr ObviOus reAsOns. -o"

9. What are any tics you might have? Any nervous habits? "o- I try nOt tO hAve Any. If I dO, I'm nOt AwAre Of it. -o"

13. If you could have any super power what would it be? "o- ...ResurrectiOn, I suppOse. -o"