We walked threw the portal and onto an old deserted street, broken and half-torn down buildings scattered across the roads. A few blocks down an old beater amber colored Panther DeVille was parked on the side of the street, next to a broken down stone mansion. The shingles blew in the breeze on top of the bowed in roof, window shutters bent in and slapped against glassless windows.
I could see two men fight about something in front of a window. One man was barely seen he was short and chubby and had an ugly greenish colored hat on. The man across of him was just the opposite; he was tall and skinny and seemed to like brownish red colors. Not sensing RaXi there we continued on down the road toward what once was a main intersection.
Looking over to Xemmsur I smiled at her closing my eyes I called out to RaXi’s presence again. Slowly turning in the street until I caught onto her energy again, but now being closer I could feel the rage, hatred, and panicked energy travel thew her body and into mine. It took a moment to calm myself again. Clenching my fist I could feel something warm and wet drip down my hand, to land on the black, suddenly icy, pavement.
Laughing the feeling off I called out to Xemmsur, hoping she didn’t see any of that. “I can feel she is this way, and she’s close. Maybe it will be easier then we thought!”
Though I knew that the hardest and the most dangerous part was not fighting to get to her, but freeing her of the bonds. Once we got to her I was going to have to think up a lie, fast, and order Xemmsur away. I didn’t want to be responsible for a death of a friend, if I find out that I can’t hold RaXi back. Beside I knew that her pride would wish for no one to see her when she is at this state. Pushing out this thought I concentrated on the task at hand, as for RaXi, we will cross that bridge when it comes.
Smiling over my shoulder I pointed up in front of me, toward the big hill in the distance that lead out of the old decaying city. Not trusting my own voice at the moment I motioned to Xemmsur ‘lets go’, and we took off up to the hill in full jog.
Something, next to the horizon, caught my eye as we approached the top of the hill. Coming to a stop I saw that it was a ship resting by a harbor, a pirate ship to be exact. I looked like no on was on board though. That’s when I heard a gasp come from next to me drawing me out of any thought pattern I had in my head at that time. Quickly I turned to look at Xemmsur, she was pointing out in front of us.
As I began to turn to look at whatever was there my mind started screaming at me for not sensing anything, and being so bold to not look ahead of myself, among so many other things. That was when I realized that I wouldn’t have sensed anything for it was not alive.
Hanging from a tree, and the only seminally healthily tree in this world, was a skeleton. The road curves behind the tree, leading down the hill we just climbed to an enormous dark, cave like castle.
RaXi was in there somewhere on one of lower level of the tremendous fortress, but I dare not reach out to her energy a second time, when she is in this mind state. Not after what happened last time, I made that mistake once may years ago. 'Shame me once- shame on you, Shame me twice- shame on me', and I don’t think that there would be a third time. In this case the third time Is Not a charm.
Glazing down, I spoke up to Xemmsur. “The thing in the tree are not nobodies, that means that they did not have the power we do. They say that 'Once you see death, you don’t fear it.' We have in deed seen death. I don’t know about the not fearing it part, but I will not let fear rule over me.”
“They are mere villains, outcast of their worlds. All we have to do is head to the bottom floors, and get RaXi fast. Less confrontation the better, but keep in mind everyone has a weakness you just have to find it. So are your ready?”
Turning to Xemmsur I smiled at her again. Hoping that it could give her some confidence and myself some to. For later on I think that I will need all I can get.
---=-------------
In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.
It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being, a friend.
We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
~Nyx
