Blind Vision [Fred, Star]

[obekant]

Footsteps echoed through large, empty pockets of air. Rock fragments fell long distances, bouncing off of cliff walls before finally reaching sea level. Mist clung to everything it could, blocking view of the ground, walls, and nearly everything else. You’d think someone would be either insane or stupid to climb something this treacherous, but Sila was neither. She walked across a projection of rock and jumped a small gap. However, just as she landed on it, it broke. She would have fallen to her death if it were not for her quick-thinking, using her axe as a hook.

That was close! She thought to herself. Sila pulled herself up and breathed a sigh of relief. She nervously looked down back to her would-be demise, though unproductively, since she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her eyes. Why did I come up here again? Oh yeah…

Not long earlier, Sila was looking up the mountain instead of down it. Her eyes were alit with determination while an old woman walked up to her. “I wouldn’t advise going up there, child.” Sila looked at her quizzically and asked why. “Many have tried to climb the mountain, but none have returned.”

Sila, typical of a young warrior, wasn’t worried. “I’ll be just fine, don’t you worry.” Then she began walking to the mountain, aiming to conquer it, leaving behind a nostalgic old woman behind her.

Now, after making sure of the surrounding terrain, Sila sat down with her back against a boulder in a section of flat land to rest a little.

[Tony Redgrave]

A fresh start and a new location, things like this were exactly what true adventurers yearned. But a small little settlement near a tall mountain? Now this was something fresh for our hero indeed. A young man in a yellow trench coat stood quietly at the edge of town, staring rather heroically at a certain tall mountain not to far out ahead. ~Ara, a mountain.. the ultimate test of valor, the symbol of triumph against the elements if you scale it. The..~ But just as it was getting good, a shrill, age battered tone of voice rang out at his side before he could finish his keen inter monologue!

“I wouldn’t advi.."

But just as she started to speak, the young man quickly halted her

"Don't interrupt me!" He instantly retorted. Geez, there was no time to hear whatever mess this woman was spouting as he was having his inter thoughts and what not. What's more, her rudeness had made him lose track of what he was going to say. Oh well. The point was that was a mountain and he heard all the things about it in town. Blah blah, mountains, blah blah no return, enough of that silliness. It was just that warnings of such troubles irked him to the core. Guess he would simply have to show it could be done the only way he knew how. Yes, he was gonna scale that bad boy like a real man! It was the perfect place to start his legacy.

He turned his gaze to the old woman who now, was about to give her a piece of her mind and then some but, he was again, too fast for her "Now listen here woman. I'm gonna climb that mountain, return, and prove that people can return from it.. so listen closely and remember. I'm Nouri Aal Sephur, The King Of Bandits himself and nothing is impossible when it comes to me!" And with that, he dashed off towards the mountain, eager to prove exactly what he was all about, if only for kicks. He would sure show those people and give them the courage to do it too! However...

One hour later

"Ok.. I maybe should have went back into town and brought some climbing equipment.. Hah.. maybe. Now that he was up close and personal to this thing, it was bigger then it looked out from there. He once again rushed into the fray blindly. Silly lad.. but everyone was in his shoes at one point of his life. Now what would he do? Air was kinda cold here and mist seemed to cloud his vision wherever he looked. Obviously, this was going to be a bit tougher then he thought at first.. but he was ready to do it all anyway. He shook his thoughts about this situation away quickly and let out a mighty shout in get pumped up. "I SHALL SCALE THIS MOUNTAIN!" Little did he know, not too far up that little mountain, there was someone else who had got that idea.. wonder if that person would hear it.

[starprincess]

The crisp cold air brushed through the mountainous terrain, filling the wildlife with energy. This area was treacherous of course. The high altitude was hard on the lunges of a lower surface dweller and those unfortunate to fall off had a very swift, painless death. However it a refreshing experience.. People may not realize this but, the most rewarding experiences often contain quite a bit of risk.
On the small, inclined path a tiny assortment of white colored petals danced in the air before lying on the ground. A light emitted and the petals began to form together into the body of a seemly young, attractive girl.

The first think little Mika felt was the cold. It was very chilly in the mountains and her outfit was a little.... Well lets just say it wasn't clothing meant for outdoors. She proceeded to walk up this mountain when she was approached by some mysterious old lady.

"Please turn back.... This mountain is dangerous for one such as yourself."

Mika could see the woman's concern.. However she really wanted to climb today. It made her sad to reject this woman's request but she must follow her desires this time. Mika took a quick bow and gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you for your concerns but my desire lies on the top of this mountain. Good day to you kind lady."

She took a deep breath and continued to climb this dangerous mountain.

[obekant]

Sila was enjoying her little rest. Sweat was starting to permeate through her clothing, despite the bracing cold around her. In fact, now that it was starting to cool, the sweat made her even colder! Despite this, she was thirsty, so she took out some bottled water and drank a little.

”I SHALL SCALE THIS MOUNTAIN!”

Sila immediately did a spit-take she was so startled by the voice. I thought I was alone here, she thought to herself through coughs, maybe not… She put her water away, and cautiously walked to her left. A small tree appeared, allowing a shorter drop to the ledge below. She crawled onto the limb and nimbly positioned herself upside-down from the limb. As soon as she did, though, a male face appeared from the mist. His face twisted in shock and fear, his mouth opened…

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

Sila twisted her finger in her ear in a fruitless effort to minimize the pain from the very loud scream, which was only worse due to the echo effect of the mountain. She pulled her bottle of water out again and offered it to the teenage boy. After all, a scream like that has to make someone thirsty.

[Tony Redgrave]

Ahem. How embarrassing was that? Here he was getting his confidence and bravery up.. only to nearly have a heart attack by some young lady perched on top a tree branch. His cheeks had flushed red with agitation just thinking about it all. But that was all well and fine. She was nice enough to offer him a bit of water after that scream and he was a bit thirsty anyway. Nouri lowered his head a bit in an effort to hide his face and grasp the bottle she was so willing to hand over, taking just a little swig before handing it back."Thanks... ummm.." Hm.. oh yeah, that's right, he didn't even know this person's name! His squeamish little act at that very thought, quickly dissolved and his eyes widened with curiosity. The whimsical little thief leaned over to the lass, so close that there noses nearly touched. "Say, who are ya anyway?" his voice now as playful and cheerful as it normally was. "I'm Nouri Aal Sephur if you were wondering!"

[starprincess]

Mika walked up the mountain side slowly and calmly. A normal person would try to climb it as quick as they could but this was not what she wanted. She wanted to enjoy the peaceful aura of nature. The walk was very nice but it was lonely. There were no people around from what she could see and no other sound was present but the blowing wind passing through the cliffs. As she passed a nearby tree, she heard a loud noise in the distance. It sounded like a wild animal at first but after a new seconds, she realized it was a person. What was she going to do? Maybe this person was hurt or being attacked from something. She didn't want any needless trouble but what choice did she have if someone was in pain. Before she had the chance to think or hesistate, her body quickly dispirsed into a flock of petals. Flowing with the wind, these petals moved toward the source of these screams.

[obekant]

Sila giggled a little at the young clown in front of her as she put her water away. “Hi, Nouri,” she said, “I’m Sila.” She gently pushed Nouri back some so she could right herself, landing on the ground below perfectly. She looked at the small renegade and continued the conversation. “So, Nouri, why ya up here?” Before he could answer, however, flower petals gently floated around the two. Sila couldn’t remember any flowers, at least on the path she took.

[Tony Redgrave]

Well, this was certainly a nice little change of pace from earlier today now wasn't it? To start out all alone on a journey only to meet someone nice at the first steps of his quest, it was pretty gosh darn lucky to say the least. There were so many questions on his mind right now! Like for one, what was this rather.. delicate looking lady doing so close to this "evil" mountain? Hm.. she didn't look like she was from around these parts as the clothing was just too different from the townsfolk and all.Yes, he would have to ask this Sila lady quite a few things indeed!

And yet, it would have to wait.. for it seemed that the winds had presented the two with something most unexpected. A cluster of flower petals had begun to flow around the both of them but.. not just any ordinary ones. In fact, these particular petals were ones he thought he recognized himself. Ah yes, for they looked like Cherry blossom petals from his eyes. What kind, he wasn't sure but there weren't too many varieties that stood out from each other but so much. Most trees had five petals about the size of what he was seeing as were mostly a light pink or white with a tinge of pink so, it was safe to bank on this judgment.

Ah but there was a problem with this.

The problem being that they shouldn't be blowing in the wind, as Cherry blossoms don't fare well in conditions such as this. Its was tad too cold for a flower that favor a mild climate, and the hybrids that do sometimes blossom during mild winter weather isn't found in the wild. It was possible that someone was living close to here and grew it.. maybe but the chances of that happening and the concentrated cluster flowing perfectly as it was, it was slim. That and he could feel for some reason that something was odd about these petals.

Given this and the conditions that surrounded him, he was (ironically) shaking in his boots. Very nervous this one was but as a rogue, this was something he had to get used to at some point and what better time then now? This nice young lady didn't seem to feel the same way Nouri did but regardless, he would protect her as thanks for the water and the bright smile.

A blade had suddenly jutted out of his left sleeve and extended just seven inches down from his knuckle. Simple in design, single edged, and with a slight curve on it, it was Nouri's primary weapon and the one he could use the best. Perfect in unsure moments such as this. Trying to put on his best brave front that he could, he attempted to relay what he knew to Sila

"I.. kn-kn-know this is.. is... demanding of m-m-me.. but something... isn't... r-r-right here.. Stay... still... so I...I can protect you..." He tried to say it with confidence but he was so afraid that he simply couldn't do it. He was just sixteen after all and he just started out on his travels. Nouri was an amateur at best but everyone started out like this in some way and at least he had the guts to see this through.

[obekant]

Sila put her hand on Nouri’s shoulder to comfort him. “You should relax a little, they’re just flowers.” She put her chin on his head to look cute. “The wind must have picked them up from somewhere else.” She let him go and stretched a little. “Besides, you don’t have to worry about me,” she said, playfully sticking her tongue out, winking, “I can take care of myself.”

[Tony Redgrave]

~NOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN, NOT AGAIN, NOT AGAIN!!!~

He wanted to scream that out loud and throw a tantrum about it but, he couldn't bring himself to do it. His eyelids drooped down and his mouth was hanging quite open, with shock. He was already feeling like he wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear but now.. with this, he wanted to throw himself off a tall mountain and land directly into a pool filled with spikes and blood thirsty piranhas that had not eaten in two days. To look uncool two times in a row.. and how could he be wrong about the flowers?!?!? They really weren't suppose to be here right? Ah who knew? At this point, for all he knew, the world was flat and sea monsters awaited who sailed their boat over the worlds edge. All he could do was sigh and retract his weapon back into his sheave with a little touch of shame over his face. Also for some reason, he couldn't change his drooping eyes and open mouth. "Alright.. I'm gonna just climb the mountain like I was going to do..." but he didn't budge