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It was the dream again; the one that had haunted his nights for moons now. It was always the same, with the same players and in the same places. And, like each time before, he found himself locked within its dark embrace, forced to watch it play out for what felt like the thousandth time.

Out of the mist they came, beasts fey and dark, clothed in shadow and alien armor. Yet there was nothing dark or sinister about them. Instead their eyes, glimmering out of faces hidden and mysterious, glowed with inner evil as if their very souls brimmed with it. 

For a long moment he gazed at the three, energy curling as lazy as mist around their body with actinic tendrils, silent yet filling the air with palpable force. Then the point of view was swinging around until he was looking through their eyes. And, as it did every time he looked with their eyes, he felt his heart skip a beat at the scene that stretched out before him.

Mika suddenly appeared, and all around him destruction rained, bubbles of light and energy surrounding his body, barely keeping the maelstrom from cutting him down like winter-frail reeds in a slashing storm. And it kept coming, the hail of fire and death going on for what felt like an eternity. Then, with a roar that shook the ground; he, with the beasts, charged, surging across a intervening distance like a plague of darkness, straight towards Mika.

He jerked awake with a gasp, perspiration streaming down his body, as he always did after the dream. [i]Fate's bloody bones and shards, not again,[/i] he silently groaned as he heaved a sigh and wiped the perspiration out of his eyes with a quick back hand. [i]Why do you still haunt me??[/i] He turned just enough to look out the entrance of his cave, where early morning was just beginning to send through streamers of light into his makeshift bed chamber. [i]At least I don't have to worry about trying to get more sleep.[/i] A wry smile twisted his lips. [i]As if I could.[/i]

With a groan, he blinked away the last vestiges of the vision that had filled his veins with ice and his soul with foreboding, got to his feet, and went about his morning routine; which predominantly consisted of combat exercises with a spear.

Smoothly, he executed a spear defense maneuver in slow motion, standing in the center of the large rectangular chamber he had converted into a practice area near the back of the cave. Such an exercise, focusing on form and exactness, turned the deadly and lightning-fast martial art into something closer to a dance, a sinuous and continuous flow from one form to another that was beautiful to watch, like the uninterrupted flow of water from vessel to vessel. Hence it's name: the Water Dance; Mika's legacy.

While Tobias now favored the brutally effective offensive forms over those he learned at the start of his training with Mika, the forms he originally learned as a youth were best suited to the bare boned and lithe. Each fitted to the other in such a manner that the dance was easy, for one properly instructed in its execution. Stripped to the waist, his coco-colored skin beaded with perspiration, it was those forms that he now passed through, moving without flaw or pause from one to the next in a constant stream of concentration and effort, enough to make his body ache from the exertion.

With resistance and aggressive violence accompanying every forward step in his life, Tobias  normally spent a great deal of time binding wounds and healing. So it was a welcome departure to be able to feel the strain of his efforts in his body as he worked, instead of the pain of his injuries. It reminded him that mortal flesh and blood could do more than simply make record of each insult and disrespect foisted upon a person by a disdainful people; not that he knew by experienced. But that slowed the isolation he felt building nowadays. 

The moons subsequent to his revelation of Mika's death proved to be the hardest. The memory of the old hermit permeated every aspect of his daily life, it saturated his very understanding of everything that was and is. 'What if' questions ran unchecked in his mind, riddling his heart with chasms of guilt. [I]'What if I had stayed?' 'Could I have saved Mika from death?'[/i] 

Yet, the following week lacked such sodden emotions. Instead, he suddenly found the strength to power through his grief by throwing himself into the struggle for survival. Living in the Venomweald required ones full and total focus, all mental and physical faculties had to be in peak condition, or death would certainly claim one. [i]It serves as the perfect motivator.[/i] He silently mused and bent his whole effort to the careful movement of his body.

Thusly engrossed, time swiftly passed by as the young human continued his exercises. Until, when he paused to drink from the bucket of water he brought in, filled by the waterfall hiding the entrance of his abode, with him to quench his thirst, he noted mid-morning had risen outside the bamboo wall dominating the cave entrance.

With a wooden cup filled to brimming in hand, he stepped to the entrance and threw it open to gaze out into the wilderness beyond. And he saw that the jungle that dominated the heavily wooded had fallen into shadow with the onset of mid-morning. Shadow that was relieved in great part by the melodic dance of hundreds of golden sparks of light.

Not fireflies, the sparks were belonged to another creature, one yet to be named, but nevertheless understood. Tobias had always been curious of such creatures. The Venomweald bred such vile and disgusting monstrosities on the daily, yet managed to birth creatures fey in countenance. They danced in time to the subtle murmuring of the of the passing river as it flowed by the cave, muted but audible in mid-mornings quiet pause though it was a good ten spans from that end of the cave.

This morning was indeed no different than the past weeks; as Tobias nursed the cool water in his cup, he watched as the light continue its intricate dance, the soft music accompanying its movement bringing a wistful smile to his lips as he absentmindedly counted them, no easy task with their constant motion. He stopped with a sigh after the number reached the innumerable, contenting himself with getting another cupful of water from the bucket.

Just as well, Tobias thought as he leaned against the wall next to the caves mouth to take a sip from his cup. He had too much on his mind to bother with the Venomweald's mysteries today. He let a cool breeze coming off the waterfall blow over his heated flesh for a moment longer as he nursed his cup of water, savoring both the coolness of the water coursing down his throat and into his belly, and the play of the wind over his skin.

Then the empty cup was tossed back into the bucket and Tobias lowered himself within the mouth of the caves, hidden behind waterfall, a perfect place for a little meditation before he continued training. 

Meditation, according to Mika, were attempts by pragmatic mortals to insure they had a future beyond this life by embracing both their heritage and the possibility that gods, if they at all truly existed, awaited them after they passed from this mortal coil. As a young boy, Tobias found this notion insane and utterly illogical. He would often watch Mika meditate for hours on end, praying to gods Tobias naively assumed were fantasy. It took Mika's death, and an encounter with a mysterious woman, for Tobias to find faith, or at least try his hand at the practice of meditation. Oddly enough, it seemed to help heal him of his grief and strip him of his guilt, not through a veil of hardened emotion, but with the guiding hand of faith.

Mika had always said: [b]'A soul nourished with a diet of death and destruction only withers and dies. One given hope, however, and the belief in something beyond life, is one that flourishes and finds happiness.'[/b] Despite the chaos of the Venomweald, one didn't have to look far to see that Tobias had, indeed, found a measure of happiness in feeding his soul hope.

A stranger to the act, suddenly marginalized and isolated, hope was sometimes the only thing that allowed Tobias to live from one day to the next. To nourish that hope, he tried to make prayer and meditation a daily ritual to keep the darkness away. So he knelt in front of the waterfall and bent his head to begin the meditation that would soothe away worry and instill hope into his heart.

Perhaps it was the echoes of the nightmare that had plagued him with increasing frequency in the last few moons, a haunting vision of three beasts ripping a whimpering Mika to shreds that prevented Tobias from achieving a meditative state. Or maybe it was his troubling lack of food that consumed his mind to the point of excluding all else. Whatever the reason, it prevented him from reaching a point of serenity within himself to fully engage the meditative state he sought.

Long turns passed without success and, after trying for nearly a full hour, the young human hissed with frustration as his eyes flew open for the last time to consider his knees bent in front of him. [i]'What's wrong with me?'[/i] He silently raged, springing to his feet in a convulsive surge of speed and strength. [i]'Why can't I focus?'[/i]

A voice echoed trough the cavern, [color=ec008c]"it is because you do not control your dreams."[/color]

Soon a strong wind and the sound of chimes followed, and out of nowhere, he found himself accompanied by a woman. She wore a cloak with a hood that concealed her well, but her face alone was irradiating beauty. 

[color=ec008c]"What is the point of introspection if one's mind is an untamed wilderness?"[/color] 

[color=Tan]"I think I don't know you,"[/color] he pushed aside his astonishment to tersely reply, folding brawny arms across a broad chest. [color=Tan] "Nor do I know what brings you to the Venomweald and read my thoughts. Perhaps some explanation would be in order? My patience and generosity tends runs lean and living in these parts, especially when beautiful woman tend to magically appear and disappear."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"My, how impudent,"[/color] she said in a lower tone before raising her voice. [color=ec008c]"But let us not waste time then, I wouldn't like to stop you from going on with your very productive daily life."[/color] she smirked.

[color=ec008c]"I'm the goddess of dreams and beauty, Ilunabar. You should know the name, or a variation of it. And you are Tobias, an unfortunate soul."[/color]

[color=Tan]"A, . . . goddess?"[/color] Tobias frowned, clearly confused though his mind was working frantically to understand what the beautiful woman was saying.

The concept of a god or goddess was foreign to him. The very idea of their existence and the power they wielded gave him a headache and turned his mood sour. Yet here one was, professing herself to be a goddess, sporting supernatural beauty and a divine presence of sorts, a certain inexplicable pressure that suffocated the whole room, yet soothed and calmed him at the same time.

And he had just scorned her. So much for faith.

Without hesitation, Tobias lowered his mass to ground, and kneeled before the goddess. [color=Tan]"I apologize for my words earlier. My intention was not to offend you."[/color]

She giggled. [color=ec008c]"Oh, worry not; Though some other higher beings might take offense to it, I'm a forgiving deity. And if you had been the first being to cross my tolerance's limit, well, let's say you would know it,"[/color] she said all of that in a very calm and collected manner.

[color=ec008c]"Now, stand up Tobias."[/color]

He obeyed, silently reviled.

[color=ec008c]"Now, take this."[/color] she handed a cloth bag to the man, it smelled nice, not similar to any aroma he had sensed before, but still, his body knew it was nice. Opening the bag would reveal bread, boiled eggs, a few apples and a leather canteen full of fresh water. [color=ec008c]"You look like you need it."[/color]

Tobias' hunger and thirst seemed to grow in leaps and bounds with every passing second staring at the meal until it seemed his belly would consume itself before he could put anything into it. 

The kind gesture pierced his heart like an arrow. He did nothing to deserve such kindness, yet he wouldn't reject it, never in a million cycles. [color=Tan]"I have no words." [/color] he said softly, his eyes returning to those of Ilunabar's. [color=Tan]"All you have shown me is kindness. First, through Meimu's tender care,"[/color] he quickly deduced. [color=Tan]"And now this meal. Thank you. Truly."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"It is your merit, I do not help any mortal but the ones who deserve it."[/color] she waited until he restored his energies, before continuing. [color=ec008c]"Now that this is solved. We need to go on about your issues. I think you have the potential to bring true, worthy civilization to these swamps. However, no amount of divine help can solve the issue if you keep your current fear of your own mind."[/color]

Blinking furiously, Tobias tried to push a sudden burst and blinding disorientation back and pull together his thoughts as he willed the meals strength back to his rebelling limbs. A civilization? In the Venomweald? Could it be done? More importantly, could the fear of his mind be purged?

[color=Tan]"How do I rid myself of this fear?"[/color] he insisted, his voice soaked in determination.

[color=ec008c]"I'm not a god of easy solutions but one who gives the tools. I believe you can lose your hesitation to explore your own mind and perhaps free yourself from the shadows of the past. You just need the tools."[/color]

She approached him with a bottle of ink, it flew from out of it and started to run trough his arm and chest, slowly sinking into his skin. It was a complex design, full of cryptic symbols and writing, one thing was easy to discern, the shape of a beast, one that was very familiar to him.

[color=ec008c]"This will help you endure the nights. It will take effort, but you might be able to win."[/color]

Even with every square span of his chest's surface deeply etched with arcane symbols to both protect his mind, and ward off evil dreams, the young human could feel the tattoos undeniable presence throb against his flesh. There was true magic contained within.

For a long moment Tobias considered that magic, and what it could mean for him. Then, his face tightening with resolution, he turned to look at Ilunabar. [i]'Magic it must be.'[/i] He silently admitted as he traced the edges of the ink drawing forming a lion, the tingling power of the tattoo's magic quickly racing up his arm. 

[color=Tan]"I will do my best."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Use that power well. Once you feel ready, call for me again. For we will still have the matters of kingdom building to deal with."[/color]

Tobias jerked a tight nod. But his mind still reeled. Could she … no … he really become the catalyst that could jump start the birth of a nation in these swamp lands? [color=Tan]"Is it truly possible? Building a civilization here?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Well, it is not impossible, as they say, you are likely to succeed if you try... Though you will need a lot of help of the divine kind, which is the reason why I decided to help."[/color]

Tobias jerked another tight nod. He couldn't imagine anyone establishing any sort of civilization in these parts, lest a kingdom. Yet the Divines saw it so. Who was he to doubt their word?

[color=Tan]"Well then, how do we begin?"[/color] 

[color=ec008c]"Well, you should focus on your mind first. Meanwhile, I need to finish preparing the tools necessary for this task, like ways to grow food and ways to bring light to the caves."[/color]

Tobias's face abruptly tightened with determination and he reached for a cloth to wipe away the perspiration that had returned onto his face in his moments of inactivity. His own mind revealed itself to be throne in his side, an obstacle to his progression. He would use whatever means necessary to rip it out. The towel joined others in the corner as he strode determinedly towards the caves entrance. 

[color=Tan]"So I use this power to purge my conscious of this fear? How does this power work?"[/color] 

[color=ec008c]"Who knows? My power changes immensely from person to person, yours will have a unique effect. I can guarantee it will help, though."[/color]

But what did that mean? If long cycles amongst the trees of the jungle had taught him anything, it was the need for answers had to be sought on ones own. He would have his, even if it meant taking on the monsters inside his dreams! 

Once again Tobias lowered himself within the mouth of cave. A single drop of perspiration slowly oozed out of his hair to trickle down the side of his face. But the young man, completely focused on the task he was about to undertake, ignored its small discomfort. Instead he silently passed once more through the mental exercises to calm his mind and channel his energies he learned as a youth.

It was difficult to be calm in this place, especially in this situation; dark, and close, the air ripe with the scent of stale perspiration and the irrefutable presence of a Divine. In the shadows, it was hard to forget the nightmare that had returned once more in the night to trouble his dreams and fog his mind. Only rigorous mental exercises allowed him to do so.

Quickly he quashed the nervousness that, for the briefest instant, danced in the pit of his belly and, slowly drawing in a nose-full of the thick, heavy air, willed himself back to serenity. Just in time; as the last of the anxiety faded, a vertical slash of light appeared out of the shadows in front of him, heralding the opening of a plug-like portal. And, as soon as it was wide enough, a voice called out from beyond.

Tobias instantly stiffened when his mind screamed in recognition of the sound: the throaty snarl of alarm deep in the heart of the jungle. His head jerked up as if in a hangman's noose. And in time to catch the first wisps of smoke rising above the trees in the distance. Feeling his body suddenly cramp with silent anguish and dread, Time itself slowed as adrenaline flooded quicksilver into his body, now wracked in soundless agony.

Then the muscles of his throat were free and the human warrior found himself mindlessly screaming.

[color=Tan][b]"Mika!"[/b][/color]

Tobias pulled away from the portal to sprint to the spot where he spotted a conveniently left sword. The blade sported an ornate guard, one of a roaring lion coated in gleaming gold.

Scooping it up in one smooth motion, Tobias wheeled around and sprinted into the jungle. 

Soon Tobias found himself howling almost incoherently as he rounded the corner to come face to face with the shack that gave him shelter for more that twenty winters, a shelter that now hung useless by it's ruined structure.

Oddly enough there where were bodies everywhere, both burnt and seared by the same force that destroyed his home, and cloven asunder by more mundane powers, blood and entrails strewn about as if the place had become some sort of perverse butchery. Some body parts were even laying a good 10 paces away from the bodies they belonged to, appearing as if they'd been ripped off by some cruel giant, which had, with awesome power and unstoppable force, blasted through the home and slew its defenders. 

The human warrior felt the blood in his veins grow frigid at the sight that nearly forced him to a stunned halt before he managed to force his legs to speed past the once-living wreckage. Still, he couldn't help wondering what manner of force could've lain to waste the elite hermit Mika. He couldn't have failed. Never!

Before he could do more than ponder, the ground beneath his feet heaved wildly, staggering him and forcing him to fight for his balance. A fight he quickly lost as the ground continued its unpredictable and violent upheaval, finally throwing him roughly to his knees. Where, a heartbeat later, the air itself became a weapon, a vast wall of boundless sound solidifying it and rolling it over him like a giant rolling pin.

Tobias grunted as he was crushed flat against the hard ground where the wall of solidified air ground him down into the rocky soil with incredible power. A second pulse of sound then flipped Tobias over like a dried autumn leaf before it picked him up and flung him suddenly weightless through the air to smash him against one of the ruined walls. There the pulse held him in place like a captured moth beneath a giant hand.

As abruptly as it struck, the pulse was gone. In the aching vacuum left in its wake, Tobias dropped to the ground, his ears awash in remembered sound and his lungs convulsively heaving in an effort to refill after being roughly emptied by his sudden introduction to the wall. Stars dancing in his vision, he tried getting to his hands and knees. [i]'Gods!'[/i] he thought wildly as he struggled into a kneeling position. [I]'What was, . . .?'[/i]

Without warning a third pulse was suddenly upon him, the giant hand returning to close vise-like about him until his breath rattled death-like in his throat before it drove him bodily through the remainder of the shack. Powering through the crumbling oak wood, Tobias could hear his flesh and bones scream their protest and, for an instant, the human warrior's voice echoed their sentiments. He then slammed into Venomweald bark beyond and the pain was swallowed up in a fire-rimmed pit of darkness.

For an icy, heart-breaking moment, Tobias wondered if he had somehow failed the goddess and let his fate go unrealized as he stared with his mind's eye down a strange, black corridor that seemed to stretch into endlessness before him. He found its darkness oddly soothing as silent whispers oozed into his brain, promising peace and rest from the toils of his mortal existence. All he had to do, they said, was let go. And in that instant the young human knew he was looking at death's own visage, very enticing with his mortal form wrapped in the fires of travail.

Yes, it was enticing, so very enticing to just let go. Let go of the pain, let go of fate; let go of everything. The temptation was so very enticing indeed. Before he could do more than just ponder the possibility, however, something grabbed him by the scruff of his mental neck and brutally yanked him out of the comforting blackness.

With a harsh gasp, Tobias was conscious once more. Blinking against the blinding light of reality about him, he could feel every movement of his chest sent new tendrils of fiery pain lancing through him. [i]'At least three broken ribs,'[/i] he silently diagnosed. Who knew how many more were cracked?

Another jolt of pain through his left arm announced a broken upper arm, perhaps even a fractured clavicle. Unfortunately the young human knew he couldn't just sit there and count his injuries. He had to get moving. Gritting his teeth against the dull, grinding sensation that accompanied the blinding flashes of pain, Tobias used his tingling right hand to lever himself upright. 

The same hand then made a quick, fumbling feel across his face, discovering a mashed nose, several cuts and abrasions now beginning to bleed in earnest, and a gaping gash across his forehead. It was a mark to attest to the force with which he met the oak of the shack's walls. Only the gods knew how it was possible for him to go through solid stone-like wood in such a fashion and survive, if just barely.

His hand trembling, he roughly wiped away the blood that began to trickle into his eyes through his sodden eyebrows from the gash on his forehead and looked a quick glance around.

The ruin of bodies and hut that first greeted him still stood the same, with the addition of the hole in the right hand of the structure where Tobias made his erstwhile foray through wood at the behest of the nameless force that pummeled his mortal frame. For some reason the attackers made their egress here, at his old home. Perhaps the apparent ease at which the structure and their oddly numbered defenders were overcome was symbolic of something, a suggestion of their might and relentless power. It was pure dark fantasy, the stuff of nightmares. Yet here it was, in blood-soaked and flame-ridden reality all around him, grim and gnawing in its horrible revelation.

[i]'I must find Mika![/i] he muttered through swollen lips to no-one in particular, cycles of training seizing him with the desperate nature of his predicament.

Hearing only distant battle in reply, Tobias grit his teeth against the agony in his body and began to inch his way backward until his back met hard wood. The trees! If he worked it right, he could use them to come to his feet.

After first bracing himself with his right arm against the wall, Tobias slowly pushed himself erect with the aching muscles in his legs. Span, after agonizing span passed by as he worked his way upward. With one last surge he was erect, only to feel more grinding in his left hip socket.

[color=Tan]"Fate's arse!"[/color] [i]Dislocated,[/i] he grated thickly as the pain, enough to evoke a wave of nausea, swept through him to add to his already heavy burden. He forced himself to swallow hard in order to retain the contents of his belly. Then a spasming muscle in his back made Tobias shift his weight unexpectedly.

The hip popped back in with an audible 'crack', leaving the young human light-headed with the relief of pressure and pain. This time there was no denying the nausea and he bent over to empty what little his roiling stomach held onto the broken ground.

When his heaving was finally done, Tobias wiped his mouth with the back of a trembling hand and leaned back up against the wall. [i]'Thank the gods it was only partially out,'[/i] he thought dully as the joint continued to throb in tribute to the abuse heaped upon it, his leg bordering on numbness. [i]'Or I wouldn't have made it up the wall.'[/i] Then a vast roar, followed hard by a series of long screams from deep within the city yanked him viciously back to his present predicament.

Grimly Tobias cast about for his sword, knowing that hand-to-hand combat wouldn't suffice in his present condition. Tottering on still shaky and aching legs, he worked his way back around what was left of the shack and into the clearing proper, holding his broken left arm tight against his body as he scanned the shattered wood beneath his shuffling feet. There, in the midst of some rubble, was his blade where it managed to land after being ripped from his hands by the second sound pulse. Staggering to the spot, he fell to his knees and scrabbled in the rubble just long enough to uncover the leather scabbard and strap.

Only to find, as he drew the blade out, it snapped in twain. It must've happened when some heavy planks, freed by his rough passage through the hut, fell on it. The young human groaned in despair as he looked at his sword's jagged stump. That ruined that option. Still, he needed a weapon; the search had to continue.

Using the broken hilt end as a brace, Tobias laboriously levered himself back to his feet. Tottering on uncertain legs and with his mind swimming in pain and hopelessness, he glanced through the clearing and into the clearing. The sight that came to his blood-filled eyes was enough to kick-start his heart into vibrating life deep within the bounds of his chest to send blood seething through their pathways in his body with a force ten times normal.

[color=Tan]"Amul's bloody bones and shards!"[/color] he thickly gasped as several massive, shambling shapes, at least five men high, shuffled into view through the smoke and dust that obscured the glade at least ten lengths into the jungle, their heads topped by spike horns and their eyes glowing a sullen red.

[color=Tan]"The Three Warriors!"[/color] he husked, eyes wide. It was like they had stepped out of his last dream and into this one.

What Tobias caught sight of next made his blood fire with the heat of the suns very crown: a swarm of familiar human-like beings appearing out of the smoke to run around and by the warrior, a being in black in their midst, mounted on a steed of the same color. The mounted being made a set of gestures and the humans afoot scattered in all directions.

As they scattered, the warriors turned to their right and, with the same rush of sound that announced the sonic assault, attacked, the air between them and a set of sturdy trees blurring for a brief instant. In an eye-blink the massive trees were hammered into ruin, utterly shattered by the pulse of sound. The assault was quickly followed by several beams of ravening energy, emitted from the warriors glowing red eyes, slashing into the rubble and sweeping back and forth to catch anything surviving within in their deadly light.

Tobias's face tightened. He didn't need the Divine's gift of Sight to know what the creatures were. The Three Warriors, the dark soldiers bred for the specific purpose of killing Mika and tormenting him.

And the being in black could be only one person:

[color=Tan]"Me,"[/color] he tightly rasped to himself, hatred for his evil being chilling his pounding heart. 

Even as the words tumbled from his lips, the scream of a woman split the air from somewhere nearby, the sound traveling the edge of utter terror before it suddenly cut off. Tobias' teeth ground together.

[color=Tan]"I didn't kill Mika."[/color] he bit out roughly. [color=Tan]"Your what's been plaguing my dreams. Guilt."[/color]  It was now time for desperate action.

Grabbing his left arm tightly with his right hand, he resolutely pushed the broken ends of the bone together, the resulting pain making his vision swim. Grimly he continued to adjust, knowing that his choices had abruptly become limited. Only after a long moment of adjustment, which seemed like an eternity with the pain racing sickeningly through his body, was he finally satisfied that the two ends were, indeed together. He then clamped the arm tightly to his side to hold it steady while he sketched a lion's main onto the flesh over the break with his own blood. The knowledge seemed to already belong to him.

As he completed the delicate form, the young human pushed his will into it and grunted with satisfaction when the lion came alive with a warm, green light. An instant later he felt the bone shift one last time to perfectly align before the halves joined themselves together in one final burst of heat. And then the lion was going dead, he quickly sketched two more, one over his broken ribs and the last over his hip.

The heat of healing quickly fading, Tobias straightened, wincing at his still pained muscles and tissues. Bones were one thing and muscles another, when it came to healing, apparently. Unfortunately he had exhausted his remaining will on the draining healings of the broken bones and didn't have any to spare for torn tissue and bruised flesh. Worse yet was that any bone he had healed, still needed several days to fully knit back together.

The field healing he'd done, though effective, was still weak when compared to the natural healing process, or that which a fully trained healer could accomplish. Any blow of significant force would snap the bones anew and he'd be right back where he started. Grimly he squared his shoulders. There no longer was a choice in the matter; either he went with what he had to do what he could, or the Three Warriors and his guild would continue to lay waste to his beloved home, and slay Mika.

[color=Tan]"And that I cannot allow,"[/color] he softly said, quickly whispering a simply prayer of hope to the gods before he began to cast about for another weapon.

It only took the determined human a moment before he espied another sword, also half buried, beside the smashed body. Stepping to it quickly, albeit somewhat gingerly, he uncovered it with a sweep of his boot before flipping it up into his hand with a nimble lift of his toe. There he took a tight grip on the dusty hilt another roaring lion, this time cosmic black, he began to run into the glade, pushing the pain of his broken and battered body deep into the back of his mind.

The Anti-Tobias smiled in anticipation of the oncoming slaughter. He could taste Mika's blood. He was just a few spans away. 

"Go!" the dark twin barked and two of the three warriors started forward as they began to draw their weapons.

Teeth grit in silent determination, the young human warrior sped forward, reading the slender blade in his hand for battle.

Caught by surprise, the warriors scattered. Ignoring them for the moment, Tobias turned his attention to the one that remained behind.

[color=Tan]"A surprise for a surprise,"[/color] he tightly hissed, a hard smile on his face as he glared at the stunned dark soldier. Then he was whirling death.

The quicksilver fire of adrenaline now flooding into his bloodstream in an avalanche of sensation. Tobias found himself smiling tightly as Time slowed, freezing the warriors in place all around him.

There was nothing stylish about his assault into the brief pause in Time the shivering quicksilver surging in his veins granted him, only devastating efficiency. He went to work like a grim butcher, cleaving head, limb and body asunder with equally fatal accuracy, using short, curt strokes to inflict maximum damage.

His sword was a silvery arc hissing through space before it abruptly terminated in a momentarily dazed dark warriors neck, slicing through muscle and tissue without pause, exiting in a dark spray of fluid. Then the arc was dipping downward before the blade cut straight up, its honed tip and edge opening up another dark soldier from navel to chin like a grim book, its pages covered with the waning moments of its relatively short life.

Without pause, Tobias recovered and brought the blade around to plunge it deep into the chest of the third warrior before it could react to his attack, piercing it clean through the heart and killing it instantly.

So engrossed was the young human in battle he failed to notice the dark figure astride a dark horse loom out of the dust and smoke behind him. Nor did he see, even as he cut down the final warrior, the beastman's face twisted in pain, the long spear the creature held in a gloved fist, its warhead a three bladed monstrosity with jagged teeth on each edge to make both the going in and coming out of it a horrible journey for the spear's recipient. It was truly a weapon of war.

For a moment the spear head glinted dully in the failing light as the dark figure raised it up in preparation to strike, carefully following the human's unnaturally fast course through his powerful opponents. Then, with a flash of red-glowing eyes, the spear was hurled forward just as the last warrior dropped lifelessly to the ground.

With the sound of metal punching through flesh and bone, the spear drove clean Tobias' back, just barely missing his spine. At the moment of impact, the young human warrior felt his breath snatched away by a great blow right between his shoulder blades. Then a fiery brand of searing pain was tearing its excruciating way through his body.

In an explosion of flesh and blood, the gore-covered spearhead erupted from his chest like a gruesome flower of death. Despite quicksilver adrenaline energizing his body, the strength of the blow knocked Tobias forward. And, as he staggered to catch his balance, he brought up his free hand to touch disbelievingly at the bloodstained warhead that now jutted from his chest. [i]'Stained in my blood,[/i]' he thought wonderingly. Then the strength suddenly left his legs and he dropped to his knees, his sword spilling from abruptly nerveless fingers.

The world began to lazily spin as the young human found himself struggling to breathe. Then, with a groan, he toppled forward to land face-first on the blood-soaked ground. [i]'This can't be happening!'[/i] he thought wildly as he felt his life begin to slip from his mortally wounded body. [i]'This is only a dream! Aren't I supposed to, . . . I'm supposed to, . . supposed to, . . to live?'[/i]

He blinked rapidly as a growing pool of blood began to lap at his face where it now lay in the gore-covered dust. So quickly had he failed. Failed to save Mika. Failed to defeat his own guilt. Yet, oddly enough, Tobias felt content. Content that he had, even in his last moments, honored Mika by utilizing the his teachings to the very end. He was grateful, that Mika had thought him to survive.

Suddenly, there was a strange roaring in his ears, like the sound of the surf pounding a beach. Tobias wasn't quite sure what happened next. He only knew his body was suddenly on fire with eldritch power.

Sparks' light intensified where they were rushing out of the great rent in Tobias chest. As each spark met the one next to it, they joined, creating a larger one. More and more combined until the whole of the space was filled with the blue light, now diffused and darkened as if absorbing other energies as it worked. Then it, and the rest of the sparks sank into Tobias' flesh, each becoming a tiny, intricate rune as it did so, glowing with an abruptly different color before disappearing. It held similar countenance to that of a lion's main.

With almost a strange sort of melancholic reluctance, the cocoon of light surrounding Tobias faded. And, as it faded, his skin took on the blush of living tissue. Until, with a start, he took a breath and his eyes fluttered open.

"Impossible!" Anti-Tobias snarled.

[color=Tan]"Is it?"[/color] Tobias retorted, reaching out with his left hand. With an audible hum, the same spear that had just impaled him slowly lifted off the grass at Tobias' unspoken command, golden light washing its now silver-crystalline blade until it hung in the air, point down, the grip at the length of Tobias body.

[color=Tan]"Or is it merely the outcome least expected?"[/color] Tobias' fingers flexed.

Anti-Tobias didn't see the tidal wave of force that smashed into him. But he certainly felt it hit like a battering ram. One moment he was on his feet, fighting against the invisible force that had held him in place. The next he was smashing through the shattered remnants of nearby trees to slam heavily into a particularly large monolith of bark.

There the Guilt hung suspended, once again held in place.

"Coward," he managed to spit. "Face me as I faced you: with supernatural powers abated and weapon in hand. Or do you truly lack the courage and still need Mika, boy?"

Without warning the hand of invisible power holding him in place was gone and Tobias was charging forward with a snarl as the Guilt dropped to the ground. Behind the human the spear hung above the grass apparently forgotten. As the human came on, a glow appeared in his hand. Then, with a rough growl of discharge, a spear of pure energy and blue-white light appeared there, stabbing out with abrupt motion to full length in an eye blink.

Clawing at his waist, the Guilt barely managed to clear his sheath with his sword and haul it up before Tobias' stabbing attack pierced his head off. As it was, his sword blade whined in protest at the impact, throwing out fat sparks as the blade of light and energy cut into the metal. Then he managed to disengage with a twist, stumbling back and nearly over the corpses that littered the field. Avoiding them with a curse, the Guilt jerked his sword up in time to block a hard cut at his body.

This time even more of his blade was chewed away by the blow, molten metal drops falling to the stone floor with loud hisses and sizzles.

"Is this your vaunted courage?" he grated even as he tried to set himself for another attack. "Is this coming against me with no supernatural power? Mika did not train you this way! Is this, . . .?"

[color=Tan]"An end?"[/color] Tobias snarled, his off hand coming forward, elbow bent and fingers crooked. The Guilt grunted as tendrils of force invaded his body and lifted him off the floor as Tobias lifted his hand.

[color=Tan]"That it is, puppet. I should have seen it earlier. Seen that the guilt of leaving Mika behind, the the guilt of his death somhow being preventable, yet ignored, is what infected my mind. Mika taught me to survive, and he died for that cause. I will not dishonor him by casting that resolve to the dust."[/color] Tobias husked. Then he was turning and throwing, the Guilt pitched through space by the force in his body to smash into yet another tree, this time hitting hard enough to make the wood groan in protest.

No force kept him suspended this time, however. So he dropped heavily to the ground, momentarily stunned. Before he could make a motion to recover, Tobias was there, looming over him. And, without further word or comment, he stabbed out with his hand.

The Guilt gasped as the human's stiffened fingers penetrated his chest, his flesh easily parting before the glowing sheath around the hand.

"What, . . are, . . you, . . doing?" he managed to demand even as each breath became an excruciating labor.

Done talking, however, Tobias didn't reply. Instead, he extended his fingers and the Guilt screamed as a pulse of energy ripped through him. Feeling the dark energy that gave the Guilt his dark form of life resist his effort, Tobias increase the amount of energy he was pouring into the dark creature's body. Then, with a sudden collapse, the dark core of shadow filling the Guilt's form crumpled and disintegrated under the assault and, with a final shudder, the Anit-Tobias was dead. 

For a silver, the world stilted, accompanying with it an ominous silence as Tobias reflected on the epiphany in the moments respite. The tattoo on his chest had taken the form of armaments, each representing a different approach related emotion. The silver and gold-hilted blades represented his determination. The spear represented his will. And the blade of his own creation finally represented  his resolve. [i]Just as you promised, your power would indeed take an unique shape.[/i] he mused.

With a sudden roar, Tobias was snapped back into reality without warning, and was back in the cave.

When the man's vision started to return, he would notice the cave had clearly changed from the older one for reasons unknown. The goddess was still there, and she noticed his awakening, both body-wise and mind-wise.

[color=ec008c]"Ah, you are back with us."[/color] she casually mentioned. [color=ec008c]"I also see the campaign to reclaim your mind was successful, that is good to hear."[/color]

Tobias' mind still reeled from the dream-like experience. Each and every moment played itself over and over again every time his eyelids came into view. But the images stirred not emotions of pain or resentment, but instead those of joy and freedom. Freedom from the shackles of guilt. Freedom from the plague of nightmares. 

These thoughts ran unabated through his mind even as he conversed with the goddess. [color=Tan]"Yes, yes it is. And I have you too thank for that."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"It was not much, most of the work was done by yourself."[/color] she stepped closer. [color=ec008c]"Now that your mind is clear, I would like to leave behind the implications of fate and usefulness behind the construction of this land.

There was a catastrophe, you are not aware of it because it has never reached the wilderness of the jungle, you might have noticed a day with darker skies though. People lost their home, their families and they no longer look at the sky without fear.

Those are all bad things on their own, but I believe they are the seed for a strong society, one based on defense and justice. I needed a leader for them, I needed someone that was courageous, who was reliable and who knew the price of loss.

And while I understand this is is my machination, I am sure you see the good in this and that you would do the same to these people on your own if you were given a natural chance in the future."[/color]

Oddly enough, upon processing those words, he didn't find his mind a morass of chaos any longer, as he half expected it to remain after the days events.

Instead it was a strange calm that suddenly descended down onto him as if he was doing something that was always meant to be, something that he should've done long ago. That calm imbued him with further determination. If this divine could fulfill the destiny she promised, every experience up until point was well worth the effort.

[color=Tan]"I-I will. I will do my best to live up to your expectations, Ilunabar."[/color]

She clapped her hands [color=ec008c]"Well that is great to hear, considering I already had my workers build the town. Imagine if you said no? That... That would not be great, not at all."[/color]

[i]…already had my workers build the town...[/i] So surprised was he at the revelation, Tobias felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop despite the apparent peace his mind had recently attained.

[color=Tan]"You mean to tell me that you have already prepared lodgings…a town for these refugees? Fate's arse, how long was I out?"[/color]

The goddess shrugged. [color=ec008c]"Eh, one day maybe? Either way, I just happened to have a lot of resources in hand, the project was already clear in my mind, and the land was easier to work than what I expected. Surely, it will take one more week until the structure as a whole is ready, but the main area is done, why don't you give it a look."[/color]

Tobias let a slow easy sigh ease free of his nostrils as he let drain away the tumultuous storm of emotions that raged unabated for quiet some time now. Incessantly his mind bounced between diaspora, tranquillity, and rapt awe. He needed a chance to sort it all out. 

In one swift motion, Tobias raked aside the rampaging lochs of hair from his eyes and got to his feet. A cold numbness seemed to have seized his bones.  [color=Tan]"Lead the way."[/color]

Ilunabar took calm steps towards the exit of the cave, or what had been assumed to be the exit, as the daylight was peering into the chamber from it. Just taking a few steps toward it, however, would reveal that assumption to be wrong, the light was not natural, but irradiated from a gigantic crystal peering over a large hollow area.

The only thing that came remotely close to describing what now captured Tobias's attention was the word 'hole'; a massive cavern seemingly the height of the mountain itself and nearly the same length wide, ripped in the very air itself, as if wind and space had abruptly become fabric like silk or linen to be torn by rough use or jagged tool. There was much greater uniformity to this hole, he'd grant that, it's seamless row of orderly shelters practical, it's lighting ambient, and it's sustainability astounding, yet its edges swirled uneasily in a chaotic torus of light and seething energy.

From this hole emanated a low, sub audible rumble that made his body shiver as it passed through and around him. It was enough to send a chill down his spine. 

[color=Tan]"T-this is magnificent."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"It is nice, I would say. Maybe I went a little over the necessary and spent too much manpower and resources here, but hey, more city for you, I guess." [/color] she looked around, clearly thinking about other things and not being as linked with the place as the mortal.

[color=ec008c]"If you don't mind, I would like to show you the farms"[/color] she pointed towards one of the many tunnels extending from the city and disappeared.

The onyx-colored tunnels and subways of the underground city were a veritable maze of spacious passages and high walls. If he didn't have the lithesome Ilunabar as his guide, he would've been lost a thousand times over, losing track of the turns they made after the dozenth. As it was, he was still trying to make out the synthetic sunlight from glossy brick when they abruptly came to a halt in front of a rather large opening. Real sunlight poured from its gaping maw.

The area was one sheltered by mountains, almost like an oasis of green in the jagged rock outcrops of the Ironhearts. One small area of the land had been layered in terrace farms, it would take a lot of effort to continue that all across the land, however.

[color=ec008c]"I have marked the areas like this that could be used by your tribe to produce the food you will need. Sadly growing food underground seems to be out of my reach for now, but I shall contact you should I ever figure it out."[/color]

The goddess calmly recovered near to the already built farming area. [color=ec008c]"I believe you can figure this out just by looking, but in the next few days, I would recommend watching my workers expand this area, so you may teach your people to do the same."[/color]

She touched the water, and the sky above the main hidden entrance to the kingdom was reflected in it, she signaled for Tobias to look closer. [color=ec008c]"Ogres will be your worst enemies. Thankfully the caves will be dark for anyone who has not declared their loyalty to you, so it will take a huge effort to attack you."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Should they ever become a true issue, I have two last gifts."[/color] she stood up and willed a box to appear on her hand. [color=ec008c]"Anti-torches, which will eat all light in a tunnel, including illusory one and the one from torches. Use with care."[/color] she then willed a jar on her free hand. [color=ec008c]"And this one is an oil that burns in an invisible fire, be thrice careful, for this one is a terrible hazard once it gets out of control."[/color]

Swallowing his apprehension at having such dangerous creatures that close, Tobias brought the gifts up high enough for him to really examine them, not that he could decipher anything from their invisible countenance anyway but just having them made him all the more confident. 

[color=Tan]"This.."[/color] Tobias began. [Color=Tan]"This quite a lot to take in all at once."[/color] he made a sweeping gesture across his body, signifying that he was referring to [i]everything[/i] rather than just the terrace farms and beastmen. 

[color=Tan]"I fear myself an inexperienced leader. I've yet to actually meet another soul apart from yours and Mika's. And yet you see all this potential within me that I yet do not…"[/color] Tobias paused for a moment, his lips set in a thin line. Not a moment passed before Tobias rose to his full height and continued with renewed vigor.

[color=Tan]"But I will not shirk away from this responsibility. How long do I have before the refugees arrive?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"One week, unless something goes wrong. I will make them arrive in small groups, and I will pick the easiest to lead first. Quite frankly, these people are desperate, just be noble and just and it will all work out."[/color]

Tobias nodded. The week had taken and unexpected turn, one in which he very much appreciated. He was tired of listening to his own thoughts. [color=Tan]"Be noble. I can manage that. Thank you, truly."[/color]

[hider=Khookies Log] 
[center][h3]Herodom Discovered![/h3][/center]

[b]Current Balance[/b] - 17 Khookies 

[indent]+6 Khookies Earned[/indent]

[b]Balance[/b] - 23 Khookies

[indent]-2 Khookies in order to [url=http://i1.wp.com/www.maplestory2training.com/wp-content/uploads/maplestory-2-level-up.gif?resize=282%2C210]Level Up[/url] from level 1 to 2.[/indent]

[b]Final Balance[/b] - 21 Khookies
[indent]Current Level - Level 2[/indent]
[/hider]

[hider=Summary]
[indent]Tobias dreams. Not a dream of pleasure or diaspora. A nightmare. This nightmare features three warriors who are seemingly in the the act of brutally murdering Mika while Tobias watches. This proves to much and he is awoken. Shaken, he takes to his morning routine, some exercises with his spear. After a few practice rounds he proceeds to attempt to mediate. It is here it is revealed he ironically doesn't really believe in the gods. He fails to mediate and this leads to frustration. He questions this and Illunabar appears with the answer: he had brain damage. Or he fears his own mind and is riddled with guilt. Illunabar proceeds too feed him before she gives it to him straight. She sees in him the potential to lead a kingdom, he just needs to find mental stability. So, after granting him some power in the form of a Lion Tattoo, Tobias enters the dream. Upon returning, he finds himself in a different cave. Illunabar takes him for a tour, both through the huge underground city and through the terrace farms set up on the mountain side. In addition, she gives him gifts that will help to defend his new nation. Tobias is overwhelmed by the weeks event but is oddly ready for what the future holds in store.[/indent][/hider]