[Plot Topic] Starving in the Slums (Wolfie, Lyss, Kouzai)

Ulrich wasn’t surprised that the woman dodged his attack. He could sense her power now, though he wasn’t sure why. It was as if a new power had taken him over. And what had he just said? A few moments ago, he didn’t want to claim that title, the title of warrior. And yet, he just did, and a sinking feeling told him there was no turning back from it. In that one move, he had agreed to go with the woman. He also came to realize that what she said about him having past lives was true. That wasn’t his voice speaking. It must have been voices of him from past ages.

Was she scolding him? Her flat tone made it extremely difficult for Ulrich to tell if she was serious or not. For all he knew, she could have been downright sarcastic. He didn’t have time to dwell on that, however, as the woman seemed to call forth a new presence. Ulrich turned and stared wide eyed at the moose that had appeared. It brayed a greeting to him, and Ulrich found himself waving. There was an intelligence coming from the creature that made it feel almost...human.

Ulrich couldn’t help it. When the woman invited him to climb onto the moose with her, Ulrich nearly jumped with joy. Riding a moose? There weren’t many people in the world who could say they’d done that. Ulrich agreed, climbing onto the moose with a childish excitement. He paused for a moment, realizing it might be awkward if he wrapped his arms around the woman. Luckily, she invited him, and he agreed, holding tightly to her waist as the moose took off through the city.

Ulrich’s excitement soon died as he saw what was happening. The imperial army was fending off attack from forces Ulrich didn’t recognize until he saw that symbol. It had appeared in his vision, and with a sinking realization, Ulrich knew that what the woman had told him, every word, was true. He gasped. “No...Aria…”. Not again. He couldn’t lose family again. But he also knew that he was the hope for these people now. He would make things right. He would save Aria. After one final look back at the city, Urlich turned around and followed the woman.

Anaria nodded at Ulrich's decision.  To go back was suicide.  He knew that himself.  He was learning already.  Good.  Anaria refused to train stupidity.  Ulrich was anything but.  Perhaps a bit scared, perhaps a bit naïve, but not stupid.  At least not from what Anaria had seen.  Very well.  Anaria would accept the challenge if Ulrich was willing to take it.  With great haste they boarded the airship and took off.  Hiruko greeted them, then showed them to a private meeting quarters somewhere deep in the belly of the iron beast.

The airship lurched and rocked as explosions shook the metal craft.  Hiruko was working on extracting the Light Kingdom royalty with the remains of the Light State Airship Fleet, while battling the enemy airships without being destroyed.  It was a difficult task, but Anaria had a more difficult task ahead of her.  The training of both Ulrich and the Avatar.  It would be long and arduous.

"Come child, follow me," said Anaria calmly, while soldiers screamed and scrambled around her, getting to their battle stations.  Havoc filled the airship, but Anaria paid it no mind.  The soldiers and Hiruko would do their job, and Anaria and Ulrich would do theirs, and they would help out if needed, but for now, it was not the time yet. "We must talk, I believe."

Walking into the private quarters and sitting down at the head of the meeting table, she looked at Ulrich and pointed to the chair beside her.  "Sit," was all Anaria said as Ulrich took his eat.  Dori'thur rested atop the back of Anaria's chair, watching Ulrich with a sharp gaze, keeping a keen eye on his partner.

"Tell me, boy, are there any answers you would like to ask of me?" asked Anaria, "I have dragged you from your home, your place of comfort, almost quite literally.  I have placed upon you the weight of the entire world, the hopes of all its people, the safety of its future; these now rest upon your shoulders.  You are a boy, I am aware, but you are stronger than you know.  I will help you find this strength on your own; and if answers will assist in that, then you may ask questions of me.  Any."

All Anaria spoke was true. She was not wrong. She meant what she had said as well. She wanted to help Ulrich, and she believed answers would do that. She knew answers would do that. Anaria had been around long enough.

Ulrich has never been in an airship before. At first, the shaking from the explosions outside made him slightly queezy, but he eventually got used to it. He followed the woman, despite the fact that frantic soldiers were shoving past him every few seconds. Ulrich regretted not wearing shoes, as his feet were stepped on multiple times. Ulrich wondered why he didn't know there was an attack coming. Normally, sea patrols would have notified the state officials, who would then have sent a call for soldiers. There were only two reasons Ulrich could think of that would keep this information private: the government was trying to keep it a secret, or all of the patrols were destroyed by the massive armada before they even saw that they were under attack.

Soon, the pair walked into what Ulrich assumed were private quarters, as no soldiers were in that sector of the ship. The woman took a seat at the head of a large table with multiple seats haphazardly strewn around it. Clearly the last group in here had left in a rush. The seat that the woman had pointed to had been toppled upside down, so Ulrich re-situated it as he saw fit, finally sitting down. Naturally, the owl was still staring at him. After what Ulrich had seen from the creature, it's stare made him nervous.

The tension that had been between the two benders had gradually dissipated. Now, it was completely gone. It was as though they were having a casual conversation as old friends. It occurred to Ulrich that maybe they were. He had no idea how long this woman had been alive. Perhaps she had been affiliated with one of his past lives.

The woman asked if he had any questions. Ulrich didn't know where to start. He wanted to know who he was, and where he was going, and who was attacking his home. But first, he needed more information on who had just taken him in the first place. "For starters, can you tell me what your name is? Or at least give me something to address you as? It's kind of hard to trust someone you don't even have a name for, even if it's not a real name."

Anaria smirked as Ulrich went right for the throat.  She had a feeling it would come to this question.  Very well.  She would have to tell him eventually.  Very well.  "I am Anaria, child," Anaria began, "Anaria Shola.  When I train you, you will call me Teacher or Master.  Once you are trained, I will allow you to call me by name.  Understood?"  Anaria reclined further in her chair, leaning against the cushioned back as she steepled her hands in front of her face, resting her arms on the arms of the chair.

Anaria thought deeply, thinking for a bit, about what to say next. She wanted to tell Ulrich about her. Not everything, but what he needed to know. Enough to get her to trust him. But how, what words, and how much. Anaria spent several minutes silent. The only sounds were the crackling fire, the popping logs and the explosions from the battle outside; coupled with the screams of soldiers, both dying and shouting orders. Chaos was enveloping the world around them, and yet Anaria remained calm and collected, not rushing or waisting a single moment.

Everything had it's time, everyone had their moment. Now was not the time for action; now was the time to listen, to learn. The time of knowledge and understanding. Finally, after ten minutes of silence, Anaria leaned forward and spoke. "I was born in the Shadow Lands," began Anaria calmly, "I was a Spirit Bender and Light Bender by birth. My maternal grandmother gave me my Light Bending gene; my father and his family were all Spirit Benders. So I bend two elements."


"As a child I dreamed of serving the Spirit King, saviour of the Spirit Benders. We were...lost after the fall of the Elemental Kingdom. I did this by becoming a Paladin; I was a Holy Paladin of Light, Champion of Laedaela, Goddess of the Hunt." Dori'thur hooted sagely and flapped his wings knowingly. Anaria chuckled and reached up, stroking the bird's chest.

"It was during my first mission that my life changed. I became trapped in the Spirit World, and so I was stuck there for fifteen years. As you can see...the experience changed me. Personality and body. All was changed. I once looked as you did; peach skin, blue eyes, blonde hair. Now I look like a--no; not yet. That is not important. You will discover them in time. It was in the Spirit World that I befriended Dori'thur here."

Once more the owl hooted, this time with delight as he flew down and rested itself dutifully upon Anaria's shoulder. The woman smiled and once more stroked Dori'thur's feathers. "After I returned from the Spirit World, Spirit King Raiden made me a member of the Order of the Elements. Me and five other benders; the strongest of our elements. We are immortal and tasked with the job of training the Avatar and the Warriors of the Elements in the ways of bending for all time. Such is our burden. This is why I have sought you out."

Anaria leaned forward and looked hard into Ulrich's youthful, wary eyes. She wanted to ensure her eyes, like her words, would pierce his soul. That he would hear them. Truly hear them, and understand them. "Everything that is to be, has already been written, but it does not relieve us of the doing child. This was all pre-ordained; you cannot run from your fate. You must do what must be done. Do you understand what I mean boy?"

Ulrich nodded in comprehension. "Of course, Master," he said, trying to stay on Anaria's good side. As he said it, it felt almost natural. The term "master" seemed to roll off his tongue easily. The name fit someone of such caliber, but it felt like it was more than that. Maybe it was because of the reincarnation cycle, or maybe it was because Ulrich was just crazy. A few years on the streets would do that to you. He shook his head, realizing he was thinking too much about the subject.

Ulrich sat patently as he waited for Anaria to speak. At first he thought he was supposed to ask another question, but quickly recognized the thoughtful look on Anarai's face. No, it was not yet his turn to speak. She was thinking about something. Finally, she spoke. Ulrich was glad to hear about Anaria's past. It would give him more ground to get to know her on. Ulrich felt a slight pang of disappointment, however, that the moment she spent staring into space was over. Frankly, her eyes terrified him. It felt like she was staring into his soul.

Of course, she did just that. Anaria leaned in close, and Ulrich felt sweat beading on his forehead. She explained that everything that happens was foreordained. In the past, Ulrich would have had a hard time grasping such a subject, but too much had happened that day for anything to just be coincidence or the result of choices. "You're talking about destiny, aren't you?" Ulrich stated, recognizing her description. Though he hated to admit it, destiny had just taken him by the throat, and it had no intention of letting go anytime in the near future.

Since Anaria had told her story, Ulrich figured he might as well share his. He didn't know how much she already knew about him, but even if she did know about his life, it's always different hearing it from the person who experienced it. After a long pause, he decided it was time to begin.

"My mother died at childbirth," he began. "My twin brother and I, we were too much for her. It didn't help that she was already really sick. It's a miracle that we survived. My father, or so i've been told, passed away from grief soon after. I heard that he loved her more than anything, and losing her made him lose a part of himself. So my brother Chaio and I were raised in an orphanage. I think the main reason neither of us got adopted was because we were an 'all or nothing' deal. If somebody got one, they got both.

After twelve years, Chaio decided that he'd had enough. Now, I would've been happy staying at the orphanage. The kind lady who ran the place did her best to take care of and show love to each child. But Chaio was a very convincing person. So we ran away. We ran into the woods and got lost. We left in the night, so it was extremely hard for either of us to see anything. I heard it before I saw it. A beast, maybe some kind of wolf, leapt through the bushes and onto Chaio. I grabbed the first thing I could find. That would be this staff here. More of a stick, really, but the wood is so thick that it has worked well as a weapon in the past. I beat at the monster with everything I had, sending it running back into the woods. But it was too late. Chaio was already dead.

A kind old hunter found me the next morning. He took me in and helped me get through the grief. He told me to keep pushing forward, no matter what happens. Well, his words finally got to me, and I eventually moved past Chaio's death, though sometimes the memory still haunts me. I thought that with the old man, I could be happy. He could be my new family. He taught me how to hunt and how to defend myself in a fight if I ever had to. I didn't expect that he would betray me for gold.

A dark bender showed up in his cabin one night at random. All he demanded was a strong, healthy slave. He wanted me. At first, the old man stood in my defense, but when the bender showed him the gold, he couldn't refuse. I jumped through the window without a second thought, but the bender soon caught up to me. That was the day I found out that I was a bender. It took sixteen years, but it finally happened. I was saved by my bending manifesting itself at just the right moment. Knowing that the man had likely taken many slaves, and would likely take more, I killed him. He's the only human I have ever killed.

I didn't go back to the old man. I was too hurt, too betrayed to ever return to the cabin in the woods. I wandered into the Light Capital and quickly became familiar with the hierarchy of the city. I found my place in the slums, stealing food from the well-off to give it to the starving. I've gone weeks without food to keep families fed. It was all I could do to keep myself and others happy. I met the innkeeper one day in the market. I had actually tried to take his wallet, and I would have if I didn't see that he only had a few coins in it. From then on, I took care of his family in return for shelter, and that's where i've been since."

Anaria looked at the boy.  He too had seen sadness in his life; a different sadness than her, but sadness none-the-less.  Standing up, Anaria walked over to Ulrich, pulled him from his seat, and hugged him.  Like a mother would hug her son, or a big sister would hug her younger brother.  Though, Anaria would not feel right adopting Ulrich, or acting like his mother; it would disrespect his own mother, whom Ulrich seemed to respect despite her not being in his life long.

Furthermore, Anaria was too old, and the boy too young, to be his older sister.  She would settle for aunt.  She would act like an aunt to him; but she would not tell him, lest it ruin their relationship as Master and Student.  She would treat him like such though, and tell him only once he was trained; whether or not he picked on it himself was up to him and how sharp he was though.  Anaria looked at Ulrich and smiled at him, "You shall find yourself with me child," she reassured him, "Your past will be rectified by who your become.  Do not forget it; honour it, become all that you can be.  Be the best hero you can be.  Make your past proud of your present, hm?"

The explosions and rocking of the ship had stopped.  Anaria motioned to Dori'thur and the owl took off instantly.  He flew off through the nearby wall, disappearing into the bowels of the ship to find out if the airship had reached safety.  Anaria kept one of her glowing eyes seeing through Dori'thur's, while the other focused itself on Ulrich, staring right at him.

Judging by the flow of Spiritual energy through his body, the boy was calm.  He was no longer on edge like before.  Good.  He would need his wits about him in the years to come.  This duty would be life-long; until such a time he died and was reincarnated again.  Anaria and Ulrich returned to their seats, and Anaria stared with her glowing white eyes into the fire.  Still though, she spoke to her ward.

"You may continue to ask questions, if more still come to you," she said calmly, her voice barely a whisper.  Dori'thur saw much, and through him, so did Anaria.  She was paying attention to both situations at once.  It was not something she did often, as it required a lot focus and attention, and Anaria had not yet fully perfected it.

Ulrich was surprised. Anaria just stood up and...hugged him. It was unexpected. After all, she barely knew him, and vice versa. He had expected her embrace to be cold, like the emotions she put out, but was surprised further by the amount of care he felt. In her arms, he recognized a feeling he knew he'd felt before, but he didn't know where. It was love. Chaio had never shown much love. He was never really happy, and he had become shut out. As a result, Ulrich had never received love from him. Yes, Aria's family cared about him, but not like this. This was different. It felt so familiar...a love that Ulrich had seen in the streets of the city, love that had passed through his mind every time he fell asleep.

It was the love of a mother to a child. That must have been where Ulrich had felt that love before. He was told that he had been lying in his mother's arms when she passed away. He could only imagine that the love she possessed for him was what gave him that sense of familiarity to the feeling. Anarai felt warm and kind. No, she wasn't his mother, and she would never really be able to fill the void inside Ulrich's heart. But deep down Ulrich knew that Anaria loved him like a family member. Whether a situation like that one would occur again in the future would have to be waited on.

Ulrich didn't want to cry. He hardly ever did anymore. But he couldn't hold back the tears. He didn't want to look weak in front of his new master. But after telling his story, and feeling her embrace, he was overcome with emotions that were completely foreign to him. Her words were soothing and kind. She was encouraging him to use his past, to let his experiences build him up. He nodded. He would let the past be his light for the future. But the future wasn't there yet. They were on an airship, about to leave his hometown forever. A past he might never be able to return to. He pushed away from Anaria with a smile, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Thank you," he said simply, sitting down.

She asked him if he had anymore questions. Truth be told, there wasn't much more to ask about. He'd gathered a good deal of information from her story as well as the talking they did back in the city. But one thing still bothered him. "Where exactly are we going?"

((OOC: Respond and then Kouz and Bail will hop in.))

Anaria returned to her seat and paused a moment before answering.  She waited as she watched through the eyes of Dori'thur.  The owl showed her good news.  The enemy had been routed and the airship fleet was now on course for the Shadow Lands.  There was an air of great sadness about the ship though, particularly amongst Light Kingdom soldiers.  Something was gravely wrong, and Anaria would find out.  Though she had a sick feeling she new what it was.

Anaria returned to the conversation after her brief pause to share sight with Dori'thur, talking as if nothing had happened.  "We shall be going to the Shadow Lands," explained Anaria, "It is the only place in this world where the veil is nonexistent between the worlds.  The Physical and the Spirit World constantly touch in the Shadow Lands.  You are in both worlds at once there."

Anaria smiled as Dori'thur hooted, flying through the wall and landing above her head, perching atop the back of the arm chair where she sat.  Dori'thur flapped his wings and hooted once more, quite jovially, happy to be reunited with his partner and friend.  "You will be trained there by myself, and by the Spirit King.  He shall train you in the history and spirituality of what it means to be the Warrior of Light.  You will train alongside the other Warriors as well as your leader, the Avatar."

Anaria wondered if she should mention the other teacher and guide they would have.  Every group of Elemental Warriors had a Spirit Guide.  The first Warriors, under Avatar Katsu, had Yatagarasu, the three legged crow that was now advisor to the Spirit King.  The Warriors under Avatar Lee had the ghostly spirit of his father, Kouzai I.  Since then Kouzai had been Spirit Guide for all Warriors; including the most recent, and only other set since Avatar Lee, led by Avatar Toano.

Anaria decided against it, and figured Ulrich would find out when the time came to be.  The two then sat in silence for a moment, listening to the crackling of the fire before Anaria forced herself from the comfy armchair and shouldered her bow, Dori'thur landing on her other shoulder.  "Come, child," she said quietly, "We will go see what's going on up above.  I think it's time we involve ourselves in the goings on in the world."

Ulrich thought for a moment. Shadow Lands...the name sounded vaguely familiar, perhaps from overhearing a passing conversation or a story. The idea of a place where the veil between the human world and the spirit world was nonexistent sounded interesting. He had to admit, having the opportunity to be in two worlds at once was not an opportunity granted to just anyone. That would be quite the story to tell. Though, come to think of it, not many people really got to go to the spirit world at all. Some even doubted its existence, and Ulrich was no exception to this doubt. But he had always held some kind of feeling in his heart that maybe, just maybe, a place where spirits roamed free, a place where there was no oppression, only freedom, really existed.

The Spirit King...now THAT was something special. Ulrich had only heard legends of the man who was said to be all powerful, not even a man at all. And he was going to be taught personally by him, as well as by Anaria. Ulrich had been taught to fight before, but he had the feeling that the training he was going to receive was going to be more than just fighting and history lessons. He would have to connect to a more spiritual side of himself, he knew, something that would not come easy to him. But he had to try. According to Anaria, the fate of the world depended on it.

The fire cackled through the silence. It seemed that Anaria once again had something on her mind, but Ulrich guessed that she decided not to say it, because the far away look soon faded. Ulrich found himself staring into the flames, contemplating all of the changes that just took place. Maybe things were changing for the better. He'd been on the streets for ten years. Maybe this was his chance to be more than just a street rat, more than just a starving kid. People were going to need him very soon, many, many more than had ever needed him before. He had a world to save.

Ulrich jerked as Anaria spoke again, asking him to follow her upstairs. He shook his head quickly, coming back to reality. His dreams for the future would have to wait. It seemed that there was a good deal going on at the present that needed his attention. Ulrich smiled and said, "Yes, master," he said, standing and following her out of the room.

Hiruko sat in the captains chair.  He was slumped over, saddened, utterly defeated.  He had saved the nobles.  Saved some people; some soldiers and their families too.  He had the Warrior of Light and Anaria Shola in the confined safety of his ship, but he had failed to protect the Itaruki Family.  The Royal House of Itaruki; the Kings and Queens and Princes and Princesses of the Light Kingdom were dead...just as the previous families had died.

Many in the Six Nations believed the throne of the Light Kingdom was cursed.  Whomever took it was killed; often by their own people.  The last few monarchs were killed by their own people in revolts and rebellions that the Empire had to put down harshly.  The people hated their royals.  No one was sure why.  Sometimes when there wasn't enough bread to eat they'd blame the royalty.  It was easy to point fingers at those in charge...in truth it was the nobility of the Light State.  They ran much of the royal court.

Event the Empire didn't have much say in Light State politics; not the small nitty-gritty.  The Empire exploited the Light State for profit, for some extra political sway, more land and more tax money.  But everything else was in the hands of the Royalty.  So the people attacked them.  If they were mad at the Empire they didn't say or show it.  They were too scared to attack the Imperials directly; their military was far too advanced.

The War with Ullondor drove the Light State to a state of near desperation.  Even now...just months before they were to be freed, things still couldn't go right for them.  The Itarukis were dead now.  Killed by the same rebellious nobles that had been turning people against their kings for generation.  Hiruko slammed his fist into the arm of the chair, but suddenly flushed shades of red as he saw Anaria and Ulrich approach.

Hiruko was about to make an excuse when he closed his mouth.  Anaria knew.  The owl.  Hiruko sighed, giving a small smile.  There was no hiding things from Anaria Shola.  "Anaria," bowed Hiruko, "I assume you know by now?  Is that why you and your young ward are here now?  You must have eyes in the back of your head."  Hiruko stepped toward Ulrich and held out his hand to the young boy.  The future Warrior of Light...once he was trained that was.  "A pleasure," smiled Hiruko calmly, "I'm Hiruko Ezofuji-no-Susano'o, former Prince of Ember Island, heir apparent to the Regent Lord of Ember Island and Vermilion Prince of the Empire--in title only of course.  You are?"