To Perlite and Back (open)

A foggy morning fell upon the Nightshadow Rhodium entrance as Trace started her journey up towards Mount Imbashi. Locking the forge doors as she wondered into the latent clouds, the young blacksmith moved quickly and quietly through the streets. Had the fog been any deeper, she would have waited but midday would be there soon. She peered through mist, her glasses fogging slowly with each breath. 'Can the day begin any creepier?' Trace began to think to herself.

The trek up the side of the Mountain was short and well traveled. Her feet guided her through the distance, breezing past the brush and the random cacti with a skill and dedication of the many travels in her past. Such elegance was needed as she pulled the iron cores from the hearth. Her sweat beginning to glisten against her shoulders, the sun slowly beginning to peak out from behind the hazy mist. She sat for a moment while the rays warmed her through to her soul. Although the mountain was rich in Iron, usually mined and maintained for the Imperial Army, trace ingots of carbon, bronze, and zinc could be found if the blacksmith searched long enough.
Trace wondered off the beaten path, down a section of the Mountain a little steeper than an average hiker's skill set may allow. A slip or two and even the most average earth bender would struggle to slow their fall. The Nightshadow familiy, however, prided themselves in being able to reach the granite and perlite sections of the mountain side. Lowering her center of gravity and hugging the rock face, Trace shimmied against the mountain towards the small mine-like shaft her family had began.
Glancing around, Trace checked and double checked for the NR engraved above the small four foot opening. If she had taken a wrong turn, slide too far down, or even just stayed on the path for too long, she would never have found the cave's mouth.  Trace grimaced as the feeling of the cave's roof against her hair began to destroy the mohawk fashion her mother hated her for.
With a couple of swings, Trace's pickax released the desired minerals from the cave's walls. Iron and Perlite ingots would blend beautifully into the sword and shield commission Nightshadow Rhodium had been requested months back.
Sitting on the edge of the cave mouth, looking down into the Mountain valley, Trace began to let her mind wander as she afixed her hair back into its straightened fin-like shape on top of her head, the blue tips shooting out towards the sky like a porcupine coming out of her dark black hair line.

The morning fog had lifted by midday, and from the mountainside Trace could just barely make out the roof of her forge. "Time to head back. Smoke stack is going, so atleast food will be ready when I get there." Trace told herself as she began the fight down the mountain side. The Kai province wasn't her favorite place to be, but it wasn't horrid. Strangers wondered the areas around her. Her head stayed on a tight swivel as she made her way through the small crowds.

Trace smiled as she watched some kids playing with a ball nearby, kicking it to each other. One of the kids missed the ball and it went flying towards Trace. *Sigh* Trace turned and caught the ball in the crook of her foot. Kicking it over to her left foot, then back to her right, Trace smiled. "I got ya, here kid." She called out as she kicked the ball back over to them.

Many times after long trips, Cimei had opted for his usual routine of being escorted to his lavish chambers that always reeked of excessiveness in the worst ways - the gaud attempt at wealth floundering. Sometimes Cimei wanted to find a dingy little bar and shoot the harshest of whiskey like a rough-footed farmer. Those people knew the questions to ask and especially how to have a great time.  

It had only been a few months since his coronation. Being the Light King was no easy task, not even for one who had spent their entire life training for such a task. Diplomatic endeavours had recently brought him to the Vermillion City. It felt natural to talk shop with others in a very real sense, not just some hypothetical in a book his mother had given him to read.

'Too much business,' thought Cimei. His need for a break brought him to the base of Mount Ibashi in the Kai Province. The carriage ride from the capital was comfortable and provided him his preferred tea, a spicy oolong from back home. Oro, his snake, was loosely wrapped around Cimei's neck, sleeping. The warmth that came from Oro was unnatural for other reptiles, but one that Cimei enjoyed on cold mornings.
The carriage came to a slow halt. Before he left the carriage, the driver had since gone to the back and retrieved something, Cimei watching her carefully. He stepped out of the carriage, watching his step as to not soak his foot in a puddle this early in the morning.
"Your highness," spoke the driver, bowing and presenting Skyrend, his lance. Attached to its middle was a tattered piece of paper wrapped with twine. "I managed to track down what you requested." her voice hushed but clear.
"Thank you," Cimei responded with a smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder and took hold of the ornate weapon. It still had not faced any adversity. The smile of the driver was reassuring. 'Fuck that one lady… what's her name? That was rude to her.' Cimei thought to himself while fumbling with the neatly folded yet tattered paper. Having happy staff around is necessary when you have what your mother calls 'spiritually enhanced empathy'. Whatever that meant. Cimei knew that being just worked better in the end. Maybe he was just young and naïve.

'Mount Ibashi… where or where do you hide your heart?' The paper unfolded into a map depicting several historical and recent mining ventures in this region. Generally, this information is held close to a nation's treasurer, but even then, that info can still be… procured. The map was annotated with graphs, scribbles of mineral composition, and warnings.

Content with the map, Cimei walked into the early morning fog. The very tip of Skyrend glowed perpetually, parting the fog around Cimei. He was a beacon in the dark of fogginess. Oro repositioned himself, his tail still partially wrapped around Cimei's neck, his head now resting on the base of Cimei's. An onlooker would probably call this a snake crown, but it was the duo's go-to when walking. It was familiar and warm.

---

By midday, Cimei had been wandering the mountainside, going site to site, spelunking in rather hazardous caves and mineshafts. 'How embarrassing would it be for a king to die in a petty cave in?'

It was time to head back. The carriage would be back by the time he made it down the mountain. Cimei carefully analyzed the map and performed some serious mental gymnastics to hit one last site before returning to his path down. This site was marked with an 'x' in faded red ink. There was nothing actually warning him like other sites on the map, so, with a shrug and bravado, Cimei pushed through thickets and stumbled over boulders.

His approach from above allowed easier traversal of this rugged terrain, he stopped just above what appeared to be the cave entrance. 'And… Here we are! Oh?' Waiting for him alongside the cave entrance, was a mohawked woman; pickax holstered. He could feel her connection to the earth beneath her, the calm it seemed to provide. He crouched partially behind loose boulders atop the narrow entrance. The woman stood for a moment longer before looking around - narrowly missing the practically glowing person behind a rock - and trekking down the rough mountainside. Cimei had assumed the cave abandoned like the rest of the sites he had visited earlier.  

After the woman was far enough away, Cimei briefly investigated the cave entrance. 'NR?'

He glanced back in the direction the woman had departed. "What do you think bud, think we can catch up?" Cimei asked, gently scritching Oro's chin. The serpent coiled and repositioned himself, bracing for another rough journey down a mountain. Without any delay, Cimei began the descent as well.

He should be tired and worn, like the commoner's clothes he wore that day, but the pure sunlight invigorated him. It wasn’t long until he caught up to the blue-haired woman. The terrain made way into gentle forest, and then into the common's that bordered the mountain. Each tap of his lance against the ground kept his focus as to how close he was to her. Cimei kept his distance when she stopped to kick a ball back to a few kids playing. Her voice laden with a history that intrigued Cimei. He noticed the calm in her from before had diminished ever so slightly.
'Why exactly am I following this lady?'  

Trace was sure she was hearing things as she walked along. Her shoes struck the ground softly but vibrated through the Earth below her. With each step, she could feel a distinct but shallow *ting* with every third footstep or so. Could I be mis-reading it?She thought to herself as she turned through the street. If your right, your being followed. If your wrong, your food will just be cold and your feet well worn. Trace thought as she considered her next few actions.
She had noticed the *Ting* start when she was on her way down the Mountain, but originally chalked the thought up to an animal scampering across the way or a roll sliding down the mountainside from farther up. However, here in the city square where the streets and cobblestone homes scared away the animals; she knew she wasn't alone on this trek anymore.
Trace moved swiftly, sifting a few of the more valued stones further into her satchel and the iron closer to the top.
Trace walked past a storefront and glaced quickly into the reflections of the store's windows. A man seemed to be following behind her, but not concentrating on her. His clothes seemed to suggest that of Nobility, yet he looked as if he was alone. A brief glace only provided a slim amount of information, and Trace took a step. But what if he ISNT alone
Without second-guessing herself, she side-stepped a rolling cart and skirted down a poorly lit alleyway. This alley, lit by a few torches within mere eyesight of each other, was the backroad for most merchant traffic and highly secluded. If she was truely being followed by the man, he would have to present himself. Regardless, Trace rolled her shoulders back carefully, forcing her body to relax. With an hand grasping the wrench hidden inside the pocket of her satchel, she quickly spun around to the left to face her follower. Her mohawk fell over, the rush of movement forcing the blue strands to sit semi-emo-like over her right eye and ear.
"Explain yourself or I will throw the first thing my hand has!" Trace's voice was forceful but not 100% confident, the wavering suspicion tearing at her curiosity. She listened as the *Ting* slowly moved closer to her. Her senses in fight mode, her mind racing to find the cause. A simple yet elegant blade of brass and steel seemed to shine as it came closer to her. Was it the blade shining? or the man. Trace blinked several times before she realized that the glow was coming from both entities. "What.. who are you?" She asked, her grip on her wrench lessening but not quite gone.


OOC Note: The Tings are not audible, they are sensations of the blade tapping the ground as the Light King walks. I just cant think of the correct term.

Bobbing and weaving between a bustling street was not conducive to catching up with this woman, nor were his mud caked boots. She disappeared from sight.'Of course.'

Cimei stepped out of traffic and stood for a brief moment beneath a storefront awning. "Okay, c'mon let's focus dude," Cimei whispered to himself. Oro coiled around his torso, resting his head on Cimei's shoulder, purple tongue flicking. "Thanks for the lookout, buddy."

Cimei closed his eyes and slowed his breathing - the noise from the busy street drowning his thoughts into nothingness.

He felt his consciousness give briefly yet expand outwards, the light of each soul flickering like a swath of miniature stars. It took years of training and quite literally, mind-numbing meditation mandated by his mothers, to achieve a state somewhere between the physical and spirit world - although brief.

The constellation of spirits danced in his vision for just a fraction of a second, but to Cimei it felt like an eternity. The warm glow of each person that passed him drew his attention to one star burning gently by itself, just off the galaxy of passersby.

Lights ceded as Cimei opened his eyes. It felt like he looked directly into the sun. His heart-rate was racing and breathing shaky. 'Don't puke. Don’t puke. Don’t puke,' Cimei thought to himself as he slowly approached that lone star, relying on his spear to keep him upright. His head was still buzzing but he swore he could've heard someone in a nearby alley.
He rounded the corner when-

"Oh-whoaa shit! Sorry! Oh my goodness! I promise I-" the King tired to finish saying to the woman bearing a wrench, ready to throw at one faux pas.

He felt a drop of rain meet his brow. His breath calm and steady. Eyes narrowed.

The dark alley softly aglow by torchlight and the very light Cimei seems to exude with him. The light illuminated the young woman's face. 'Was it worry? Fear?' Cimei looked closer and felt... 'trepidation.'. Maybe being cornered by someone, let alone a glowing one with a snake slowly wrapping its way around his arm, giant also-glowing spear in hand, is cause for an aggressive welcome.

She asked who he was.

Her voice holding no secrets; she was not looking to fight. Cimei softened his stare as the woman lowered the wrench from its trajectory.

'Oh thank fuck.'

Cimei fixed his posture; chest gently puffed, and chin lifted ever so lightly.

"I… am" he hesitated, "for one; not trying to rob you." His voice soft like the drizzle.
"and two. My name is Cimei and I could probably use your help."

Trace watched the alley entrance as the man began to make his way towards her. Each step, followed closely by the staff in his hand, was like a gong to her. The force of his steps pounding through the alleyway with a thud against the ground.
Her arm lowered as she saw the glowing form stopped a few paces from her, just barely allowing her to see the figure underneath. “He is not normal..” she thought, her fist firmly clenching the wrench as it waited patiently at her side.
“I am for one, not trying to rob you.” He told her, each word of his speech hitting her like a small thud... Or was that her own heartbeat, rising and matching his own? “And two, my name is Cimei and I could probably use your help.”
So, mystery man does have a name. Trace thought as she considered and chewed carefully on the information she was given. Cimei… Had she heard that name before somewhere? It seemed familiar to her but for all the perlite in the world, Trace could not place it. Her mind raced as she searched through the cabinets upon cabinets of information she knew, files flying around as her brains cells frantically tried to track the name again.
“Well, no duh you aren’t trying to rob me, not with that kind of stance...” Trace finally said after what felt like way to long of a pause. “However, Someone strangely follows you all the way down a mountainside, into a village, and then through a dark alleyway, What else could they have planned for you?” Trace’s voice was stern but not in a disagreeing way. Just like a mother speaking of her child’s ill thought actions. As she spoke, she slowly put her wrench back into her bag and stood up straight.
“If you truly needed my assistance, I have a shop you could have met me at.” Trace’s heartbeat slowed as she breathed, and a sense of calm seemed to wash over her. It took about one more minute before Trace’s eyes caught a glimpse of the snake around Cemei and smiled. “Scales are friends, not food. If you planned to kill or harm me, I have more weapons than you can imagine on my person at this given moment and will strike first.”
Trace couldn’t’ remember the last time she had actually had someone take her up on a fight, but everyone seemed to be too scared to hit a girl.. Not that she still looked like one anymore. Fights always end faster than they were started once the hidden dagger and swords were discovered…