The Power Inside

[Chicogal]

Diana glared across at Angelina before standing. "No, I'm fine," she stated stubbornly, turning around to huffily march back to her fire. She had the bucket in hand, and put the hot rocks in, then pouring in some water. Crouching by it, she stared into the element of her Fiend. People weren't emphatic...

[Fortune86]

"In the wild I would suggest you keep and clean the feathers if you can" said Ceil in response to Imari's question. "They make good insulation against the cold and can even be converted into lures if you know what you are doing. Don't ask me to show you how to do it though, that was a knack I was never able to pick up."

 

He looked around the training area and watched his students work. He had guessed Imari would be fairly competent at wilderness survival, having grown up on Usi Phiedn. The Island tended to breed hard-wearing folk. And Sera and Angelina both seemed to know what they were doing. Pity about Diana and Khaine.

 

((Chico? What are you doing with Thor?))

[TotallyDrow]

Khaine turned around and looked at Ceil. "catching and killing a bird is fine and all... but what do we do if we are trapped in a cave..?" he questioned. The reason behind this was largely due to the area from where he originated from. Zurt. Up at the mountains, wildlife was rather scarce largely due to the commotion of the miners driving them away, so catching and killing their prey in such a circumstance would have been harder. However that was not the main reason for his question. Cave-ins where not that rare back up at the mines and it was only thanks to back up food supply located within bunkers that the miners were able to survive on several occasions.

 

However, Caves in the wild which are scarely travelled by humans would be a different story entirely... if they were to be sent on a mission and such a situation arose where he was trapped within a cave... what could he do to survive..? Crixius being of the earth element would come in handy... but what if like Ceil had stated, he were unable to summon him... what then?

[DragonSpirit009]

“Lures?” Imari whispered to herself sitting and thinking in silence not quite sure what Ceil meant. She will ask him a bit later, first this bird needed some gutting. Letting the bird rest on the clean leafs, she quickly went to get a bucket clean walker and returned to her fire. She then pulled out the dagger that was hidden within her shoe, holding it out over flames waiting for it to burn clean. It was something she learned from one of the healers on the island.

 

*flashback*

“Clean a weapon before using it for surgery or even working with food, you never know awful stuff might be hidden on it.” Spoke an elderly woman holding a needle over a candle flame.

 

Once Imari think it was clean enough she dipped it into the water and rubbed off the black smoke that clinged to it. Satisfied she turned to her bird with clean knife in hand and started chopping the unnecessary parts of the bird.

[Fortune86]

"Many wild caves may have fungi growing inside" said Ceil. "If you think there may be a danger of being trapped in one I suggest you read up on the edible types. If not than the short answer is that you are screwed."

 

He gave a little sigh before speaking again.

 

"Even the best of us will sometimes find ourselves in a hopeless situation. Sometimes we get lucky and someone may come to our aid or something will happen that will turn the tide. All I am trying to do here is teach you how to use the tools you may have at your disposal in order to increase your chances at survival. Sometimes you find yourselves without anything. Those are the times when you can do nothing else but pray."

[DragonSpirit009]

Imari continued slicing up the bird cutting out some other glands that would cause problems and cleaning the inside. Soon the bird looked like a small spatchcock chicken ready to be boiled for lunch. The girl went back to her bucket of water, washing of her hands and blade clean. Cleaning an animal was indeed a messy job, at least this was just a small bird and not a deer or something bigger.

 

“Anyone else wants to use this?” she asked out loud holding up her knife.

[Fortune86]

((I just want to point out that in this world you wouldn't find any deer in the wild. The monsters have wiped out everything that can't swim or fly away.))

[Evangeline]

Angelina knelt beside her fire with the bird. She reached down to her ankle and withdrew a hunting knife from a sheath. She lay the fowl down and started to work on preparing it. Having had to cook meals many times, she knew how to clean off small fowl and other little creatures.

~

 

Sera looked up at Imari.

"Yes, please? I left my knife back in my room."

[Chicogal]

Diana watched her water boil a little bit blankly. Of course she had seen blood, death, cruelty. But never against an animal, from someone she considered a friend. Could she be friends with someone who would willingly break a bird's legs just to make it still? That was terribly painful. She wouldn't wish it on anyone. No respect for the life they were about to take.

 

((Thor is probably sitting around the city. I can kill him off or whatever.))

Edited December 10, 2012 by Chicogal

[DragonSpirit009]

Imari stood up, dusted herself of slightly and walked to Sera, handing her the knife. The girl then returned to her fire where she rolled another rock into the water causing it to finally reach a perfect boiling point. She then took the spatchcock fowl and placed it in the boiling water. Imari sat and waited a bit but got quickly bored when she stood up and looked around.

 

“Need any help?” she asked both Diana and Khaine who seemed to be slightly behind.

[Chicogal]

It took a couple of moments for Diana to glance up at Imari. She had been rather deep in thought. "No, I'm fine," she said, more harshly than was necessary. Then, she returned back to staring down at her bubbling water. She didn't want to have to kill the bird. Especially after what her friend - was she still? - had just done. It had made her feel terrible about the entire thing.

[TotallyDrow]

Khaine looked over his shoulder as he heard Imari's offer. He pondered it over for awhile, as he glanced over at Ceil. "N-No thanks.." he said smiling. Thinking things through he decided that in the long-term it would be better reject Imari's proposal, it wasn't because he didn't want the help... it was more to do with the objective of today's lesson.

 

After recent events and Ceil's insistance on this lesson being about survival, relying on others would be counter productive and a hindrance in his own development as a summoner. He had to learn to do things on his own, otherwise he would be a burden to those around him.

 

Returning his attention back to the dead bird, he resumed pulling its feathers out slowly...

[DragonSpirit009]

“No need to be snippy about it.” Imari spoke as she narrowed her eyes looking at the young girl. What is her problem? she thought for a minute when Khaine spoke bringing her back to what she was doing.

 

“Very well.” Imari spoke, turning around heading back to her boiling bird and continued attending her fire. She also kept moving rocks in and out of the water making sure that it wouldn’t stop boiling anytime soon.

[SkullKrusher]

(( Freaking SAD because I can't return ;( ))

[Fortune86]

(( Freaking SAD because I can't return ;( ))

((No need for this. I've already explained my reasons to you and Chico.))

[Evangeline]

((Sorry guys. It's been busy and I don't have internet at home. I'll try to respond asap))

[Fortune86]

"Get a move on Khaine" ordered Ceil. "If you take this long to prepare a meal you are going to starve to death. And Diana get on with that bird already. You're not doing it any favours by prolonging the inevitable."

 

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. They thought this was hard. Ceil knew that some Summoners had had it worse. A few years ago some military forces had been stranded on one of the islands south west of Cymd. They'd ended up eating each's other legs for survival. A light summoner had regrown the limbs for them later, but the act had stayed with them.

 

~~~

After disposing of his meal Arthur turned to the moldy looking bed. The sheet on it was thin and dank, but it would serve his purpose.

 

~~~

 

Downstairs the woman who behind the inns desk heard the distictive sound of the bed springs in Arthur's room. At least one of them was out for the count. She nodded at the two burly men who were waiting just inside the doorway leading outback. They looked at each other and then walked past her and up the stairs.

[TotallyDrow]

"R-R-right.." replied Khaine, who increased the speed in which he was plucking the feathers. Such a task was alien to him and it took a bit of getting used to. A few minutes went by and the feathers were beginning to accumulate in a messy circle around Khaine.

 

Plucking the last feather, he turned to look at everyone else. Unsure as to what he was suppose to do next.

[Chicogal]

Diana glared across at Imari before rising. Then she trooped across to the cage, staring down at the birds for a couple of seconds. So now she had to pick one to take to its death. Sighing softly, she turned her head away and grabbed a random one's neck. Looking back at it, she lessened her grip and gently lifted it out by holding its stomach ad pushing upward. She cradled it in her arms, lip twitching as she looked at the beady little eye, felt the frantic heartbeat. Shaking her head, she went back to her boiling water and sat cross-legged next to it with the gentle creature in her arms. She would have to kill it.

[Evangeline]

Sera took the knife and then went back to her firepit. She made quick work of the bird. She took a little water and soaked it to help soften him up a bit. While the girl waited, she went on a short hunt and found a few sturdy sticks that she thought would do. Then, with Imari's knife she had carved herself a crude spit that was supported by a couple of other sticks. When she was done, she finished carving the little bird and gutting it. Then, she stuck it on the spit to cook. Seraphina eyed her work as she gave Imari her (clean) knife back. It will have to do, she thought as she cleaned the leftover feathers and such up.

 

~

 

Angelina glanced over at Khaine. Her bird had been cleaned, gutted, and carved by now. She was cooking it on a stick she'd carved up.

"Khaine, you'll need a knife." she said, holding out one of hers.

 

((Chico, did you catch that Angelina was also complimenting Diana's aim with the water? xP))

[TotallyDrow]

"A knife?.." he replied, looking up at Angelina. "Why do I need a ..?" he stopped as he noticed her bird roasting on a stick. A clear gash on it from where it had been cut and gutted. Khaine gulped as he saw this. He hadn't taken into consideration the gutting off the bird, a task he wasn't really looking forward to.

 

His hand trembled slightly as he took the knife from her hand. "T-thanks.." he gulped. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow as he stared at the knife. Killing and plucking the bird was one thing... having to touch its insides was another.

[DragonSpirit009]

Imari watched as Khaine seemed to be hesitant with gutting the bird, clearly he wasn’t used to it. She then looked at Diana and only rolled her eyes. Really how will you ever survive she thought to herself. Standing up she walked to Khaine and sat next to him.

 

“You better get a move on Diana. Ceil might lock you up in here until you finished making dinner.” Imari spoke before she turned to Khaine.

 

“Khaine, I suggest you cut of its head first. From there you work from the breast downwards. Then you take the insides out. If you are a bit freaked out by it just use one of those leaves that you used for making a bowl.” Imari spoke showing Khaine what to do and supporting him.

[TotallyDrow]

"T-thanks.." replied Khaine, as he took in Imari's advice. He continued to stare at the bird in his left hand, and the knife in his right. The fact that she had made it sound easy didn't help instill any confidence in him. Sure she may have shown him how to do it and what to do, yet actually doing the task was harder.

 

Khaine used his arm to wipe the sweat off his brow as he built up the confidence. The first thing he would have to do is stop the slight trembling in his right hand.

[DragonSpirit009]

Imari looked at the boy still shaking with nerves. Looking at Ceil she wondered if he would mind just showing him or leading him on how to deal with the bird. Especially it seemed like it was his first time or he had never done it himself. Standing up Imari moved behind Khaine, grabbing his hands and showing him where to cut.

 

“This is how my dad taught me. I’ll lead you what to do but you’ll be still doing it by yourself.”

[TotallyDrow]

Khaine gulped. "I've seen worse... much worse... this shouldn't be so difficult.." he repeated to himself in his head. Compared to the monsters Crixius crushed and the wounded summoners he had seen on his first mission, the sight of a birds blood and guts should be nothing compared to that.

 

Khaine slowly lowered the hand holding the knife towards the bird's head.