[center][h3]A meeting amongst the clouds[/h3] [b][color=ff4500]Luna, The Twilight Queen Level 5 Hero 45 Khookies[/color] [color=0072bc]Vizier Ventus, Majordomo to Zephyrion, Most Supreme of All Djinn Level 10 Hero 13 Khookies[/color][/b] [/center] [hider=Summarino](This post takes place before the Realta invasion and before the events of the famous Khollab.) - We continue from our last meeting with Luna, where Synnefos is rescuing her from Slag's volcano, after negotiations between Ommok and Slag break down. Synnefos, under Ventus, is spying on Luna. After the battle between Cyclonis' team and slag ensues, Synnefos quickly rescues Luna from danger. As they leave the mountain range, the volcano where Slag nests erupts, reaping destruction upon the area surrounding it. Synnefos, to get away from the range of the volcano's eruption, flies upwards above the clouds, where he settles. He catches a current and rides it all the way to the Celestial Citadel. There is some small talk between Luna and Synnefos during this time. After they reach the Citadel, Luna is greeted by Ventus who was getting briefed about the day's affairs by Cyclonis, who had reached his destination way earlier than the two. Pissing match between Luna and Ventus ensues. Things get serious towards the end, with Synnefos attacking Luna and almost throwing her off the Citadel, but the Sunderer comes in clutch and saves the day. The post ends with Ventus blowing Luna off to the border of the Firewind, and commanding her to stay away from the desert and the 'empire' within it. Luna, the mischievous rascal she is, seeks revenge on Ventus and does the exact opposite. She turns to her quadrupedal form and bolts towards the Firewind.[/hider][hider=Khookie Summary][list] [*][b]+4[/b] base Khookies to Luna [*][b]+4[/b] base Khookies to Ventus [*][b]+6[/b] to both for the number of characters written. [*][b]-10[/b] Khookies to Luna for leveling up: [u][b]Level[/b][/u] [i]5 --> 6[/i] [/list] [b][u]TOTAL[/u][/b][list] [*][b]Luna: 45[/b] Khookies [*][b]Ventus: 23[/b] Khookies [/list] [/hider] As the lightness that was Synnefos' mist enveloped and swiftly carried her away through the tunnels, Luna's mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. First and foremost of those being [i]why?[/i] As much as she racked her brain trying to find a reason why a djinn, out of all things, would save her from certain doom, she couldn't find one and opted to remain silent for the duration of their escape. Once the winds had carried her a fair distance away from the volcano, an ear deafening roar was heard, presumably Slag's, that reverberated the immediate area surrounding the volcano. What followed was a rumbling noise, and Luna could clearly see the trees shaking on the ground beneath them. [color=ff4500][b]"Oh, boy..."[/b][/color] she thought. She quickly turned her head back towards the direction of the mountain range, just when the volcano housing the magma djinn erupted violently, shooting out lava, molten rock, and other debris. The surrounding forest instantly caught on fire, and if not for the mountain range itself somewhat blocking the winds from picking up, the fire would have already caught up to them. The djinni of fog continued forward yet twisted its form so as to look back. When it saw the mountain erupt into an explosion of magma and fire and felt the wave of heat, Synnefos was quick to ascend higher into the air. Eventually, he reached a strong and favorable wind, high in the atmosphere, and then seemed to stop entirely. He was lazily content with simply drifting upon that gale rather than exerting himself, so the ride was much slower than what Ventus had given Luna. But of course, Synnefos was no djinni lord. He lacked the strength and the drive to rampage across the landscape at such frivolous speeds, especially with some cumbersome fleshling upon his back. So unbeknownst to Luna, they floated upon a stream of wind towards the Celestial Citadel. A black haze of volcanic ash trailed behind them upon the wind as Slag's dark shadow. Luna felt the winds surrounding her creating a small vortex for a brief moment, before stabilizing once again, steadily carrying her away from the erupting volcano. She watched as lava flowed down the volcano's sides, and for a moment could swear she had seen movement from within the huge plume of smoke that was let in the atmosphere as a result of the eruption. Turning her attention back to the djinn that had carried her away from danger, she once again couldn't find a reason for this unexpected rescue. She was certain that Ventus hated her guts, so why send someone to look out for her? [color=ff4500][b]"Hey you, who are you?"[/b][/color] She blurted out loud. [color=LightBlue][b]"You are carried by Synnefos,"[/b][/color] an answer came from the depths of the cloud below her, and then he said nothing more. [color=ff4500][b]"Okay [i]Synnefos[/i],"[/b][/color] Luna said mockingly, intentionally deepening her voice when uttering his name to match his own. [color=ff4500][b]"Do you think you could tell me where exactly you are taking me? I am quite thankful for the rescue; I don't think I would have survived that molten freak's outburst had you not appeared, but I guess you are not just doing this out of the good will of your heart now, are you?"[/b][/color] [color=LightBlue][b]"My master will see you,"[/b][/color] he answered vaguely. [color=LightBlue][b]"You are indeed fortunate that I was there to spare you Slag's fury."[/b][/color] If anything Synnefos seemed irritated with her, but he had already spent the better part of several days stalking her through the Venomweald and then trying to follow that brutish creature with the magical stone... Even now, Synnefos found himself distracted by thoughts of the ogres, by that beast with the Stone, by the Stone itself, and by their strange ties to Slag. The vizier would have to be informed of much, so Synnefos saved his breath by keeping his words with Luna short. Seeing as the djinn would not divulge any more information, Luna humphed and crossed her legs, imitating a sitting position. With the Sunderer floating beside her, she waited for the djinn to take her wherever it was taking her. In the distance, something gleamed like a jewel as the sun reflected upon its shiny white luster. It was almost like a snowy mountaintop, only detached from any mountain and far, far above the ground. As they neared the Celestial Citadel, the silhouette of great turrets and balconies became clear. It was an incredible castle of white stone, built upon a foundation of countless clouds. Some trees grew in small courtyard gardens and there were vines (though overgrown and unkempt, for mortal hands had clearly not tended to them in many years) growing in hanging gardens. But beyond that, everything was bleak, vacuous, white, and drafty. It was fitting for the palace of djinn, but little else. Synnefos, at last, broke free from the gale that he had been riding and propelled himself towards an open terrace. In the middle of that terrace was the towering form of a lord that Luna recognized all too well, and circled about him with others that were no strangers to her: Cyclonis and those of his force that had survived the encounter with Slag. Having easily beaten Synnefos' lazy pace, it seemed as though Cyclonis was in the middle of reporting the day's events to the Vizier. Naturally, Ventus looked less than pleased. Synnefos gingerly dropped Luna on the platform before all of them, and once again she found herself being gawked at by a hundred empty eyes. The arrival of Luna did not go unnoticed by Cyclonis as he was speaking. [b]"And [i]that one[/i] was there too, in the company of the ogres,"[/b] he proclaimed in an almost accusatory voice, flailing an appendage to whip a blast of air at her. It would seem that was Cyclonis' manner of pointing. [color=0072bc]"We meet again, Luna."[/color] [color=ff4500][b]"Ventus, I should have known,"[/b][/color] Luna said with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. [color=ff4500][b]"You just can't help but miss me, huh? I knew something was up from the moment we first met. Unfortunately for you, I prefer my partners being a little more... physical."[/b][/color] She added with a toothy grin. He ignored her implications, for djinn existed above such base desires, and to so much as acknowledging a petty taunt implying otherwise would be a disgrace. His eyes turned from her and locked onto the Sunderer. [color=0072bc]"It is you that has found a way to meddle in our affairs again,"[/color] he stated as fact, and as he spoke a small vortex began to form and it moved to sweep up the Sunderer and bring it Ventus. [color=0072bc]"So is this the prized treasure that you sought? That you would speak nothing of? I had expected something more... grandiose."[/color] At Ventus' reaction to her taunt, Luna simply chuckled. [color=ff4500][i]"Quite proud alright!"[/i][/color] she thought as she smiled. When, however, Ventus summoned his winds to try and grab Ull'Yang's staff, Luna's grin reached up to her ears. [color=ff4500][b]"Heh, I already knew you would try that the moment you laid your eyes upon it. Futile really, go ahead and see for yourself."[/b][/color] The Sunderer swiftly flew towards Ventus. It stopped just before his face and stood suspended in the air. Ventus manipulated the vortex to rotate it and quickly scan its every facet. It took him half a second to recognize the Sunderer as being of divine craftsmanship, but it had some... familiarity. The reason became clear as he examined it more thoroughly. [color=0072bc]"This is Teknall's craftsmanship,"[/color] Ventus suddenly declared. He had seen Teknall's work before, and this carried that same elegance and simplicity juxtaposed into perfection. He had half a mind to say that Luna had stolen it, but it throbbed with the magic of someone other than Teknall. A vaporous hand grasped for the Sunderer, and then without warning the thing became heavy. With his divine might Ventus heaved and tried to hold his grip upon it, but he lasted only a blink of an eye before it broke free of him. It fell with the weight of a mountain, and when it landed it shook the Celestial Citadel unto its foundations. Had Teknall not fortified the palace so, it might have been crushed or torn apart by the sheer weight of that accursed thing. [i]Bah![/i] He saw now why she hadn't so much as hesitated to give the staff to him; it clearly had some magic that would deny its power to any other than an intended user. The King's Law was no different. Luna was clearly amused, but Ventus was far from it. [color=0072bc]"So here you stand with your trinket and your triumph, yet only alive thanks to the timely intervention of my servant, from how the story is told. Do explain to me how it is that you find yourself before that abomination Slag, and in the company of ogres no less."[/color] Ventus' failure to wield the staff made Luna burst into laughter. Especially the image of him heaving and panting with all his might, trying to hold onto the weapon, was priceless. [color=ff4500][i]"This fellow, he's quite funny. I'll mention him to Master upon his returns."[/i][/color] [b]"Well, what can I say, my beauty makes ogres worship and djinn fight each other for a chance to lay their eyes upon me."[/b] Luna replied with a mischievous look on her face. Synnefos then spoke, [color=LightBlue][b]"The monster that led the ogres and spoke with Slag was the same one that I told you about earlier, the thing that followed her into the cave. He cast some enchantment upon her. I think that he too was after that... trinket that she bears. When they emerged from the cave, she carried the staff, but she did so under his enthrallment."[/b][/color] Luna's playful smile turned to stone at the intervention of a rather familiar voice. She slowly turned around, her eyes locking on Synnefos, glaring figurative daggers at him. [color=ff4500][b]"You! Stop slandering me! Enthrallment? Why are you even speaking right now? Do you qualify to interrupt our conversation?"[/b][/color] Luna shouted in anger. However, as she thought back to the djinn's words, it finally dawned on her. [color=ff4500][i]"...I told you before..."[/i][/color] She then turned back to Ventus. [color=ff4500][b]"Well played, Ventus. Well played..."[/b][/color] she gritted her teeth and said. She truly didn't expect he would be so interested in the weapon that he would send a spy after her. After all, she hadn't really interacted with many other sentient species while on Cygnea, so it didn't even cross her mind that Ventus would scheme against her. Synnefos meanwhile had rolled forward in his misty form. [color=LightBlue][b]"Perhaps not, but I think myself qualified for [i]this![/i]"[/b][/color] From the mist came a force. It was a light shove, but nonetheless, it sent the unexpecting wolf dangerously close to the edge of the terrace, where there was a long fall down. The djinn's attack caught Luna by surprise, and she cursed her carelessness. As the wind blew her towards the edge of the terrace, Luna called forth the Sunderer to her aid. The staff swiftly responded, flying like a thunderbolt towards her. The staff morphed into a brownish golden rope with black engravings, with one end of the rope coiling around a pillar, and the other coiling around Luna's waist. Luna found herself tip-toeing on the edge of the Celestial Citadel, and when her mind registered the sheer altitude and the empty sky below them, she started sweating. Thankfully, the rope held strong, and she skillfully somersaulted backward a few feet and landing near Cyclonis. She took a few moments to recollect herself as the Sunderer morphed back to its base form. She grabbed and held on to it, not daring to act as blithely as before. Gratitude shone in Ventus' eyes when Synnefos interceded, but then that quickly turned to fury when the djinni of fog took her spittle too personally and moved to throw her off the ledge. One glare from the Vizier was enough to freeze Synnefos, and his form visibly shrunk as the fog contracted. [color=LightBlue][b]"Only a demonstration, lord Vizier,"[/b][/color] he offered in sheepish answer. [color=0072bc]"There will be no further demonstration from you,"[/color] Ventus answered. His fury was palpable, but it was not the burning sort that coursed through men and the pettier of djinn. That fury consumed them and took control of them. Ventus' fury was the icy sort, and he harnessed it rather than the other way around. With a cold glare, he turned back to Luna. [color=0072bc]"Here you are in my domain. You will speak with respect, or this 'demonstration' of Synnefos will be as nothing before what I shall do."[/color] [color=ff4500][b]"You've made your point Ventus, and now you know what really happened. So, what do you intend to do?"[/b][/color] She said, this time in a more reserved manner, but retaining her previous defiant behavior. Indeed, they were gods knew how high up in the sky at the moment, literally floating between clouds. Ventus was right to call this place his domain so a little care was needed, but once they were back on solid ground, he wouldn't be so demanding, no, he couldn't be. She didn't have to wait long for an answer. [color=0072bc]"My intention is to remove you from my sight once more and warn you to cease your meddling in our affairs."[/color] [color=ff4500][b]"Meddling in your affairs? I can hardly call meddling in your affairs my seeking assistance from you in my quest, knowing that we are both directly under a god. It would be like two gods cooperating, and yet who would have known that you would flat out deny my request. I wonder what Ull'Yang would think about his brother after hearing about this. He would be most disappointed, to say the least..."[/b][/color] [color=0072bc]"It suffices to say that you were less than forthcoming about what this 'quest' entailed."[/color] Luna briefly glanced towards Cyclonis, another familiar face, before walking towards Ventus, stopping right where she stood before Synnefos' little 'demonstration'. [color=ff4500][b]"Anyway, since you want me to leave, I shall do just that. Albeit, you'll have to get me down there once again. Last time I checked, I couldn't command the winds, nor did I have wings to carry me through the sky."[/b][/color] [color=0072bc]"Very well,"[/color] the Vizier agreed as he approached her. [color=0072bc]"Below us is the great Firewind Desert, Zephyrion's Holy Land. I shall deposit you upon its borders, for I am the custodian of the desert and the empire within, and I command that you go elsewhere in your travels. It is not a place for followers of Ull'Yang."[/color] He inhaled, then sharply exhaled a mighty wind that swept her away. As he breathed out, the wind seemed to speak, [center][color=0072bc][h3]"Fly without wings as best you can."[/h3][/color][/center] The Vizier turned to other matters then, deciding not to send Synnefos to follow Luna once more. He had a feeling that if he kept track of her, she would find a way to bother him yet again. [hr] Luna hurled all sorts of curses at Ventus as she descended towards Galbar, carried by Ventus' wind. When she broke through the clouds, she was finally greeted with the same breathtaking panoramic view of Galbar from the skies. This time, however, Luna took a closer look at 'Firewind Desert', as Ventus had called it. Truthfully, Luna could not understand why deserts existed. She had also asked Ull'Yang once before about the reason why he allowed one of Cygneas' continents to host deserts, and he simply smiled and started talking about balance in all things and everything has a meaning. Luna dozed off the moment Ull'Yang started talking gibberish. Nevertheless, it seemed that it was not only he that allowed deserts to exist, all the other gods did as well. [color=ff4500][i]"Weird,"[/i][/color] Luna simply thought. [i][color=ff4500]"And to go so far as to call it a Holy Land... hmm, Ventus did mention an empire, didn't he?"[/color][/i] Luna wondered about this empire Ventus talked about. Mortals managed to create an empire among the sand dunes? How could they survive in these barren lands? Luna was full of questions as she landed on the border of the desert. She looked to her east and saw the familiar sight of grassland. She remembered this grassland from when she was out searching for the Sunderer. The thought that at that time she was being stalked by one of Ventus' subordinates vexed her, and she couldn't help but start raining curses upon both Ventus and Synnefos once more. [color=ff4500][i]"I command that you go elsewhere blah blah blah. I'll show you, you old fart cloud!"[/i][/color] She thought and grinned. Luna let out a howl before transforming into her wolf form. The muscles under her skin rippled, her bones rearranged themselves along with her organs. She went down on all fours, and her arms turned into another set of muscular legs, with paws instead of hands. Luna growled after the transformation finished and a strange glint appeared in her eyes as she turned towards the west and the Firewind Desert. The Sunderer morphed into a small but thick, brownish golden ring that shot to the top of Luna's left ear, piercing it. Luna felt her concealed weapon dangling from her ear and smiled a wolfish smile before bolting towards the Firewind Desert.