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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 27, 2010 13:15:24 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 27, 2010 13:15:24 GMT -5
The merciful voice of Kvothe's conscience sighed in relief when Alindra got what she wanted from Gregar and relented, allowing the man to run free. The other part of him was a bit surprised; while he'd not necessarily been a fan of the way she'd toyed with the man, he had expected her to kill Gregar, but instead she let him run free. Probably to live with the memories of what happened here, he thought as he withdrew his staff from the Kiffar's neck and let flee.
The Kiffar stopped and turned back to face Kvothe after a few paces, and their eyes locked for a moment. "I don't know who you are, stranger, but you and your friend have made a dangerous enemy today. The Exchange invested a lot of money into that, and they won't be pleased to know that you've ruined it. You would be wise to tread carefully." And with that warning, he disappeared into the crowd.
Kvothe motioned at Fas to let the other man run off as well, and the crowd started to disperse as the last man made his hasty getaway.
Alindra came over to him when it was done and inquired into what they would do next. Kvothe's eyes lingered in the direction that the trio of men fled off in as his mind worked to think of an answer. The Exchange. A criminal organization, and a powerful one, from what Kvothe'd learned during his studies. He didn't know what weapon they were after, or even why, but the thought of getting tangled up in the affairs of such a group both interested him and made him wary at the same time.
"Were this my homeworld," he said slowly after a long pause, "I would go after them without hesitation. But here, I do not have the position, nor the authority that comes with it, that I do on Aiaru." A rueful smile crossed his face as he ran a hand through his auburn hair. "I honestly don't know. This Exchange group the Kiffar claimed they work for... From what I know of them--and I will admit that it's more history than anything else--but they don't seem to be the sort of people that let slights against them go unanswered.
"At the same time, I'd rather not go seeking out trouble, but I guess you could say that whatever the trouble is will come find us, eventually." Kvothe shifted his weight from his right leg to his left, and the scar that crossed his nose distorted as his features furrowed in thought. "So, I guess that leaves us with two options: go after them and see what comes of it, or go about our business and handle anything that may come up as it's presented to us. I'm personally inclined toward the latter." He shrugged noncommittally. "What do you think we should do?"
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Mar 27, 2010 20:22:33 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Mar 27, 2010 20:22:33 GMT -5
She glanced at her lightsaber while she decided what to do. Alindra wasn't one to build great strategies, since she had no military training and had no way to know exactly what these people from The Exchange might do.
Alindra shrugged optimistically, ready to go on with the day's activities. "Flying lessons then." She slapped Kvothe on the shoulder and started walking in the direction they'd been going in. Turning around and smiling, she said, "Maybe later we can try doing something a little more..." Alindra glanced up coyly. "... fun?"
With an abrupt turn, she picked up a little speed. "Come on. We're wasting daylight."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 28, 2010 1:51:54 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 28, 2010 1:51:54 GMT -5
Alindra chose to continue on toward the spaceport to do the lesson, and Kvothe nodded in agreement. He'd be content to continue on and hope nothing came of their fight in the street, though some feeling in the pit of his stomach seemed to warn that they weren't done with that situation yet. It was done, for the time being, at least, though.
She moved off in their original direction, and he fell in behind her, motioning once more for Fas to walk by his side. As he started to take his first few steps, she turned around and grinned before speaking again. Kvothe felt heat rising in his cheeks at her question, and that grin she gave him, though he knew she couldn't possibly mean what it sounded like she meant. Instead of saying anything, he just laughed stupidly and shook his head a bit before moving on again.
"Fine, fine," he called out when Alindra picked up her pace, claiming that they were wasting daylight. They walked on in silence for a little while, until Kvothe spires of the space port rising above the surrounding buildings. "You know, our friends back there never really gave you a chance to answer the question I asked before we had to deal with that little distraction." Kvothe paused for a moment to put a hand up to his neck and roll it, releasing a bit of the tension that was still there from the fight a few minutes earlier. "Will this be your first time at the controls of a ship?"
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Mar 28, 2010 2:33:57 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Mar 28, 2010 2:33:57 GMT -5
As they walked, Kvothe asked, "Will this be your first time at the controls of a ship?"
The answer to Kvothe's question wasn't one Alindra was going to give fully, though she had already said so much about her life and the circumstances that had shaped what she had become.
It would not be the first time she had sat at the controls of a ship, though it would be the first time she knew what she was actually doing. The first time was after she had found herself on a ship owned by her former owner, Alko. Instead of simply giving in to their custody again, she had lured the captain of the ship close and knocked him out while she marched throughout the ship, killing the rest of the crew one by one. As she killed them, she had made a basin out of a small shipping container, draining as much blood from each member of the crew. When the captain had awakened, she disrobed before him and bathed herself in the crimson liquid.
Through the blood, Alindra felt she had been reborn. Just as the captain had been driven to madness. Alindra embraced the Dark Side fully after that. It had become her most secret, private companion and lover, though she still lived in a great deal of solitude and truly wanted to reach out to people. Most of her reaching out involved pain or harm or fear.
Fear was what the captain had felt as she wiped the blood off her body. For several days after, she walked around with red-streaked hair, all while prodding the captain to steer the ship into shipping lanes so they could find another ship to move over to. Alindra easily blamed the captain for her crimes before going to the next vessel, starting the cycle again.
But in all that time, she had never learned to fly. Madmen could not hope to be effective instructors, or even ineffective instructors. Alindra would still have to learn the traditional way. It was something that was starting to interest her, drawing her interest in a way she hadn't felt in a while.
"No," Alindra said. "It won't be my first time at the controls, but I've never really been told what I need to do to make everything work properly."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 28, 2010 20:39:29 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 28, 2010 20:39:29 GMT -5
Kvothe nodded at her answer as the two stepped into main lobby of the spaceport. "It's simple enough once you get the hang of it. Some people have knacks for it, others don't." He shrugged casually as he took the lead, leading her to the exit that would take them to his vessel. "And most ships have settings that make it easier for beginner pilots to work with them." He faint smile played at his face as he flashed back to the first time he'd taken a flying lesson back on Aiaru. "You'll do fine, I'm sure."
He turned through a door and walked back out into the afternoon sun. They were in a massive courtyard of sorts, though it wasn't one meant for recreational purposes. Four ships were within it, and Kvothe's sat on the far side.
"There she is," he said with a nod in the ship's direction. "The Masada. My home away from home, and your makeshift flight school." Kvothe turned his head to glance at Alindra before he set off toward the Masada. "Let's get started, shall we?"
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Mar 28, 2010 22:22:44 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Mar 28, 2010 22:22:44 GMT -5
As they approached the ship, the Masada, Kvothe took the opportunity to being Alindra's instruction, reassuring her that she would be able to catch on, if only because many ships had settings to make flight easier on beginner pilots.
"I hope you're right about that," Alindra said, her voice trying to sound humorous. "But you're right, let's get started."
Alindra waited to follow Kvothe's lead. Since it was his ship, Alindra felt it was best to let him lead the way. Any further exploration would come later, should Alindra have to spend a longer duration on board.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 29, 2010 17:12:43 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 29, 2010 17:12:43 GMT -5
Kvothe led Alindra over to the back of the ship. A ramp descended down out of the hull, making a way for them to get up into the vessel. He walked up to the top of the ramp, where a thick metal door barred entry into the interior. It slid a few taps on a keypad later and it slid open with a crisp hiss, and Kvothe motioned for Alindra to follow him in as Fas slipped through.
It would quickly become apparent upon viewing the interior of the Masada that the ship was designed for extended stellar wanderings, much like the journey that Kvothe had recently begun. Nothing about it was elaborate, but there was a sense that it'd been built with comfort in mind. The panels of the wall and floor were a neutral tone, pleasing to the eye, and the vessel was rather roomy, especially to only be occupied by one person, as it currently was. But, Alindra wasn't there for a tour of the ship, and so Kvothe led her on to the short stairway that led to the little bridge that was elevated up in the center of the vessel.
"Here we are," he said, as he stepped into the bridge. "Small enough to be run by one person, with enough room to hold some more, if needed." He leaned his staff against a wall, and set his sword flat on the ground next to it before motioning Alindra to one of the two seats behind the main control panel. "I guess if we're gonna do this we might as well start with the very beginning." He took his own seat and strapped himself in before turning to glance at the panel.
"A number of systems on this ship--weapons, shielding, sensors, things like that--are automated, so you won't have to worry about them unless you need to. This," he pointed to a screen that showed an outline of the Masada, "shows information about various things: shield strength, engine temperature, hull damage, and so on, but for the purpose of today's lesson I don't think you'll need to worry about that too much."
Kvothe's hand moved to rest lightly on the controls for maneuvering the ship. "These are obviously what you move it with. Left is left, right is right; or left is port, right is starboard, if you want to be anal about it." A hint of a smirk played on his mouth and he continued on. "Forward is down and back is up. It's pretty simple. This button gets the engines going, and closes the ramp and that door we came through. This one picks the landing gear up and takes us up into the air." He went slowly, pointing out each of the items in turn as he came to them before turning to face the controls in front of him, some of which mirrored the ones that were before Alindra.
Kvothe reached over to open a drawer near his side and pulled out a card key. He laid his hand on a small panel in between their sheets for a moment, and the cover to a slot for the key to go in slid open. He slid the key in. Now, with the entry of a short code into the number pad that was now displayed on that panel, he could take control of the ship, if needed.
"Alright," he said, turning to look at Alindra with a grin, "ready to get her off the ground?"
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Mar 30, 2010 1:56:53 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Mar 30, 2010 1:56:53 GMT -5
Alindra had not expected to go above the main bulk of the ship in order to reach the bridge. Once she was seated, she looked over all the controls, making sure they all made sense to her. As Kvothe began to explain the various processes and how many of them were automated, Alindra began to make a mental checklist, if only to sort out what she'd have to do once the time came for her to fly on her own.
Nodding, Alindra said, "I'm ready. Just let me make a check over everything and I think we can take off." She noticed how many of the controls and displays were repeated between her and Kvothe's seats. It was a redundancy set up to allow either seat to control the ship in an emergency, that was something she remembered hearing from someone on one of the ships she'd impressed into her service.
All the sensor and control readouts seemed to be right, though if they weren't, she was sure she would be corrected. Anything that might have been automated, Alindra left her fingers away from. The last thing she wanted to do was crash Kvothe's ship.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 30, 2010 12:40:15 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 30, 2010 12:40:15 GMT -5
"Aye, take your time. There's no need rush." Kvothe leaned back in his seat casually and turned his gaze up to look at the sky. The sun was low enough that he couldn't see it over the walls that surrounded the area where the ships rested, but it was quite obviously still day, though a faint orange tint was starting to couch the sky. His eyes moved back to look at some of the data coming in from the sensor suite for a moment. Air traffic was light for the time being, and it seemed that winds were low, though it'd take some rather rough ones to make any noticeable effect when flying the ship.
So far, everything looked good, and Kvothe nodded in satisfaction as he watched Alindra look over readouts before doing anything else. At least she wasn't being hasty; that could be the death of both of them.
"Start the engines up whenever you're ready," he said after a few moments of silence. "Give them a moment to warm, and then you can start easing us up." Kvothe paused thoughtfully for a moment before carrying on. "And, really, more than anything else, you want to try to be smooth. When we start rising, wait for the ship to clear the walls before trying to steer anywhere, and don't worry about trying to add thrust or anything of the sort; the engines will give you more than enough power to get into the sky." He shrugged lightly and grinned as he leaned back in his chair again. "Once we're out and in the sky, everything else is pretty simple. Take-offs and landings are the hardest part. Or they were for me, anyway."
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Mar 31, 2010 1:51:26 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Mar 31, 2010 1:51:26 GMT -5
"Starting engines." It took a moment for the power to run through the entire ship, the slight hum of the craft coming to life, ready to move. Alindra looked over everything once again while the engines warmed. She had to do something to pass the time and making sure everything was working seemed to be a good idea. If nothing else, it would make her more familiar with the layout of the controls.
She cleared her lungs and looked at her passengers. It felt funny to treat them that way, since the Masada was their home while traveling. "Alright," Alindra said. "I'm going to take off, now." She followed the way the controls were feeding into one another, letting lift thrusters carry the craft up and out of the dock. She kept the controls steady and even. Kvothe's advice on not trying to maneuver before clearing the dock.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 31, 2010 11:11:17 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 31, 2010 11:11:17 GMT -5
That oh-so-familiar shift in Kvothe's stomach told him that the ship was starting to rise, even though that much was readily apparent with a look out of the transparisteel windows. A gentle rumbling down below told him that the landing gear was rising back up into the ship, and was confirmed on one of the screens a moment later.
His hazel eyes went to Alindra for a moment. She seemed steady enough. That much was good; nerves could be a dangerous thing when flying. His gaze returned to the control panel, and a quick press of a button brought up a map of the area around them on one of the little screens. Kvothe studied the map for a moment. The town they were in spread out on it, and he noted that there was a coastline not too far to the south. The Masada itself was represented by a flashing orange blip that was slowly rising up into the air.
"Alright," he said, and looked up to see that they'd cleared the walls of the space port, "take us south. There's a coast a short ways from where we are now, and that should be as good a place as any to do a bit of flying." He pointed to the right, indicating which direction was south."When you turn, just take it easy. We aren't being chased or anything of the sort, so there's no need to turn hard. Smooth, as I said earlier."
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Apr 1, 2010 1:46:26 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Apr 1, 2010 1:46:26 GMT -5
The upward momentum slowed as the local scenery became visible in front of them. Alindra drew in a sharp breath as she saw the city sprawl out underneath her. She could only imagine how she might feel when she piloted a ship out of an atmosphere.
Kvothe brought up a map and examined it, noting a destination suitable for Alindra to fly to. "Alright," Kvothe said, "take us south. There's a coast a short ways from where we are now, and that should be as good a place as any to do a bit of flying." As Kvothe pointed to his right, Alindra looked over the instruments, looking for some sign that th direction was correct. "When you turn, just take it easy. We aren't being chased or anything of the sort, so there's no need to turn hard. Smooth, as I said earlier."
Glancing over her shoulder, Alindra asked, "Full speed at once, not your forte, Kvothe?" She turned back to the controls, starting the Masada turning in the right direction. "Don't worry, I'm not one to go all out at once either--but I will warn you, I do like my fair share of speed."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Apr 1, 2010 21:00:53 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 1, 2010 21:00:53 GMT -5
Kvothe laughed warmly at Alindra's quip. "Fair enough. I won't lie, it's nice to just open her up sometimes and let her go." A devious glint came into his eyes for a moment before he said "I'm sure we'll get some time to let you see what it's like to push the ship a bit, but you need to get acquainted first."
He watched her as he spoke, noting the way she handled the controls. He'd heard the way her breath went in so sharply when the ship cleared the walls of the spaceport and the city below had become visible; it had been much like his own the first time he'd ever piloted a ship. But, despite that, she was doing well enough. What Kvothe thought was the coast line was just barely visible off in the distance, thanks to their altitude. It would be a simple thing to get from where they were to there, so with that knowledge, he leaned back in his chair and settled in for the ride.
After a moment, he thought to make a bit of idle conversation while keeping an eye on things. "Tell me, Alindra, where'd you learn to fight? Did you just learn on your own, or did someone teach you? What you showed back there in the street was impressive."
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Apr 2, 2010 2:25:09 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Apr 2, 2010 2:25:09 GMT -5
The Masada moved at a smooth pace, drawing them closer to the coastline Kvothe had mentioned. As they moved out, Kvothe inquired about Alindra's fighting style.
"I'm glad you appreciate it," Alindra said. "I can't say I was really taught, though the old woman, Stormfist showed me a few things, if only by pressuring me." She took a moment to adjust her balance so the ship stayed on path. "Truthfully, I learned things in pieces and figured out how to put it all together.
"We're all animals, you know. Fas understands things neither of us can, not without letting ourselves revert back to our primal natures. I spent a year living in the wilderness, doing whatever I could to survive. Fighting to stay alive, either to find a meal or to keep from being something else's."
Alindra's tone remained stoic, an uncharacteristic volume. For once, she'd found a reason to put aside her charm and her kind demeanor. Just for a moment, she got to relax her persona.
"Attack. Defend. Fight. Kill. We do what we can to keep going. And if that means you have to tear out a living being's throat using nothing but your teeth, then that's what you do."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Apr 3, 2010 1:15:39 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 3, 2010 1:15:39 GMT -5
"Makes sense," Kvothe said as the Masada purred quietly around them. "You do what you have to in order to survive he added, regardless of whatever it may be." His expression became thoughtful for a moment before he muttered "Which is something the Jedi might do well to learn if they want to survive this war that's brewing in the Outer Rim. But that's neither here nor there."
"You spent a year out in the wild, though?" A note of respect played at the edge of his youthful voice, and his eyebrows lifted slightly. "That's no small feat. I've had my own stint with having to live out in the wilderness, though it was only for a few weeks, rather than a year. It was hard, though. I can't imagine doing it for a year." His eyes drifted off to stare blankly at the passing landscape below as memories of his time in the Culsu Swamp flashed through his mind. They weren't memories he wanted to deal with, so he pushed them away and forced a smile on. "I guess it wasn't all bad though. I found Fas during that stint, though we were both halfway dead at the time." Kvothe chuckled and glanced back to the flickercat, who was laying on the floor near the stairs that led up to the bridge. "I guess he liked me, though."
Kvothe allowed his mind to wander as his attention drifted through the various displays. So far, everything was going well. The coast was drawing nearer, and the sea was quite visible, rather than being a thin band off near the horizon. "Looks like we're almost there, then. When we're over the shorline, turn to the west and take us a bit higher. Then we let you move her around a bit and get a feel for things."
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Apr 3, 2010 2:26:17 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Apr 3, 2010 2:26:17 GMT -5
As much as Kvothe complimented Alindra's surviving for a year in the wilderness, in doing so, he made mention of the growing conflict on the outer rim, as well as the Jedi. In her heart, she knew she would be part of the chaos to come. There were penances still to be paid, and the darkest part of Alindra would not be quieted until she had bathed in Jedi blood.
"A year in the wild isn't the greatest thing. I think it was the filthiest I've been in my entire life--including growing up in those mines I was telling you about." Alindra began to slow and turn the Masada as they approached the coast. "I'll have to tell you about the old woman I met, but it sounds like you have an interesting tale of your time in the wild."
Bearing a grin, Alindra glanced over at Kvothe, wondering just what he might be thinking.
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Rugs
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Apr 3, 2010 11:56:59 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 3, 2010 11:56:59 GMT -5
"I guess I do," Kvothe said. After all she'd told him of her own life, it was only fair that he return the favor and tell some of his own. He closed his eyes and sighed as he thought of how to go about telling her of his time in the Culsu Swamp, and new he'd have to tell of the events that led to him being there. The memories were painful, but he'd have to push through them.
"To start, I guess I need to lay out how I got there. " His gaze grew distant, and he stared out of the window, though he wasn't looking at anything in the world around him. "That starts about... ten years ago, when I was twenty. At the time, I was out on a trip with my best friend to gather some information from an herbalist in one of my homeworld's cities. It was an easy trip, and we thought everything would go off without a hitch.
"Part of the way through, we were ambushed by some men, though we easily defeated them. We asked into who hired them, and found it'd been no other than my brother." A scowl grew on Kvothe's face at the mention of his brother, and the red of anger played at the edge of his hazel irises.
"Now, I should say that me and my brother, Vorian, do not get along. In fact, I doubt the phrase 'don't get along' can even really begin to describe our relationship. At first, it started as a typical sibling rivalry, but over the years, we've developed a mutual enmity for each other." Kvothe barked a rueful laugh. "This scar I have across the middle of my face was a gift from him.
"Anyway, once we found that out, I, being the hasty youth I was, and still am, decided we needed to go after him, to bring him in for defecting from our order. Fides, my Selonian friend, wasn't so sure, but I convinced him that we could do it. So we made our way down to the Culsu Swamp, which is a massive swamp that covers part of the southern region of Aiaru's main continent." Kvothe paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing on.
"It should also be said that my brother is a prodigy. He was always better than me at nearly everything, to my unending frustration. He was more intelligent, stronger, faster... I'm sure you can imaginge my ire at always living in his shadow. I can't think of one time when I've bested him in combat. Oh, I've come close, certainly, but he always finds a way to beat me. But I had Fides with me. Surely, if I couldn't take Vorian on alone, I could do it with Fides' help." Kvothe's voice wavered at the end as the memories of what came next in that particular chapter of his life welled up, and at the pain that came with them.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Give me a moment to collect my thoughts and I'll keep going."
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Apr 4, 2010 19:42:14 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Apr 4, 2010 19:42:14 GMT -5
Kvothe's conflict had been much more direct than Alindra's. While both had siblings, Kvothe shared a great animosity with his. Alindra wondered if Kvothe just wanted to be better than his brother for once or if he wanted to kill the man. Regardless, Kvothe had plans for his brother.
Alindra had plans for her sister. She thought about them, wanting to instill the skills she had learned into Laira. It would take a great deal of work. Alindra knew it would likely mean torturing her sister to start with in order to make her embrace the Dark Side fully. Alindra knew she would likely have to go to some extent to make Laira her slave, binding her will in some way. It's why Alindra needed training, so she would be able to teach her sister how to use the Dark Side of the Force to its fullest.
While she reflected on her plans, Alindra waited. Kvothe would compose his thoughts soon. Only when that happened, would he continue, and Alindra wanted to hear him out.
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Rugs
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Apr 4, 2010 23:35:33 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 4, 2010 23:35:33 GMT -5
{Alright, I want to try to get this all out at once, rather than breaking it up into multiple posts, so long post incoming. Edit: Nevermind xD I'll finish it with my next post.}
Kvothe closed his eyed and took a breath to steady himself before going on. "We went out into the swamp, and we found Vorian waiting for us. We attacked him. At this point, he'd been gone from the Tower for about a year. I don't know who trained him when he joined the Unum--the group that's fighting against my order back on Aiaru--but he was not the Vorian I was used to fighting. He'd always been quick, but he was devilishly so then." Kvothe shook his head as the fight played out again in his head. "For a time, we had the advantage, but then he was able to trap me, and constrict me with bonds of Mythos, or the Force, as you call it. I wasn't strong enough to break them, so I was out of the fight. So then he fought Fides one-on-one. Now, Fides was training to be a healer, but he was still a competent fighter, especially with those claws Selonians have. But he wasn't good enough to take on Vorian; neither of us was. So, I watched, powerless to do anything to help, as my brother stabbed my best friend in the back, to the point where his sword was sticking from Fides' stomach, and then go on to tell him about how he was expendable."
Kvothe's eyes became a deep blue, as the sorrow from the loss of Fides washed over him again. "He died because I was a fool," he muttered. "If I'd just listened to him, none of that would've happened. But I was so set on catching Vorian..." He snapped his head up as he realized he was talking to himself and cleared his throat before continuing.
"I was knocked unconscious and the next thing I knew, I was in some hidden outpost in the belly of the swamp. What happened for the next year is not something I enjoy looking back on, so I think it will suffice to say that I was locked in a cell, barely fed, and only taken out to be beaten or drugged up so my brother could torture me." A scowl suddenly grew on his face at the realization that he was skipping over something that played a part in his time in the wilderness and he shook his head.
"No, there's one thing that I need to touch on from my year in captivity. There's a naturally-occurring substance on Aiaru called Etherium. It's a huge part of the economy of that world, and my order gets most of its financial wealth from controlling the trade of it. It can be refined into a powder, and that powder is, more or less, a drug." Kvothe laughed to himself a bit. Most people were usually a bit surprised to find out that there was an order of Force sensitives that supported themselves with a drug trade; he supposed he could understand why. "It's mildly addictive, and is burned for use. When used, it has an effect of helping to clear the mind, and is a wonderful tool to use with meditation. Of course, there are ways to tell if someone's a regular user of the stuff. Remind me to let you shine a light into my eye at some point." He shook his head again as he realized he was rambling and moved on.
"Anyway, while the powdered form of Etherium is relatively harmless unless you're a flaming idiot, there's another form of it. Once refined, it can be concentrated into a liquid, and that is very dangerous, especially for Mythos-wielders. See, the concentrated form is injected directly into the bloodstream. It doesn't take much to overload the mind, and that makes it very hard to reach out to the Mythos, or to protect your mind from the intrusions of another.
"Unless you count the beatings, none of the torture I went through when I was a captive was physical. All of my sessions went the same way: I'd be dragged into the room, tied down to a table, injected with a shot of Etherium, and then my brother--or someone else, in the rare instances when he was away--would go to town on my mind. I cannot describe to you what it's like to have the sensation of some of the worst pain someone can think of thrust upon you. I will simply say I hope it is nothing you ever have to endure. I don't know how I endured these sessions for a year, but I do know that I was hair's width away from breaking before my rescuers arrived."
He was coming to the last part of his little story, but he looked over to make sure everything was alright with Alindra as far as flying the ship went before he continue.
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last online Apr 10, 2014 12:08:08 GMT -5
Knight
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Apr 5, 2010 0:10:15 GMT -5
Post by Nightender on Apr 5, 2010 0:10:15 GMT -5
Kvothe told Alindra of his battle, about how he had been tortured physically and mentally over the course of a year. And while he said more about his battles and the Mythos, Alindra was fixated on the idea of Kvothe's imprisonment.
We are the same, she thought. Alindra made no sign, rather than respective attention. She did have a ship to fly while Kvothe spoke. I have to let him know this. I have to show Kvothe that he's not alone. He's useful in a fight and knows a great many things I need to learn. When the time is right...
Alindra kept their flight path consistent, hiding her curiosity with a general sense of pleasantness. Deep down, she was wondering other things, deciding how far she might want to push things with her new ally.
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