Raiya's Journey

[Raiya]

Raiya's journey thus far has been a long and trying one. She has fought through the fierce paths to The Docks. She is one step closer to accomplishing her quest.

*Raiya enters the path way to the docks, she comes around the bend and sees 4 men, each of an interesting race, all different.*

*Hoping her words would not fall on deaf or misunderstanding ears* "Can you men direct me on to the boat which leaves for the Meigin Temple?"

*The first man mutters something to him fellow boatsmen in another language, then turns to Raiya* "Are you traveling alone my young maiden?"

*Suspicious and aware of the danger Raiya continues to play along* "Yes I am. I am on my way to the Meigin Temple. Now are you going to help me or not?"

*The men caught off guard by her tone begin to discuss among themselves*

*Raiya sees this and begin to listen to their conversation. Although the conversation the men were having was in a different dialect, Raiya did not let on that she knew what they were saying (her mother traveled among many nations and knew many different languages)

*The men glare at her in preparation to battle

*Raiya thinks to herself, already knowing what they have said and planned* "These fools, why would they think they are strong enough to steal from me?"

*Preparing for battle Raiya takes her stance, but waits to draw her sword*

*As the first man attack, Raiya acknowledges he is weak in his left knee, she steps out of the way of the mans awful charge and thrust kicks him in the left knee, shattering it and rendering the man helpless*

*As the man is howling in pain, the other 3 begin to show remorse and fear*

*Raiya keeps her stance, but also remains calm* "Would anyone else like to try and rob me?"

*The men looked at each other with puzzlement, as the first man was still unable to stop writhing in pain. Another of the group turned to Raiya* "We will take you on the boat to the Meigin Temple, but know that it is dangerous and we cannot make the journey with just 3 men and 1 woman."

*A tad insulted by the the doubt in her ability, Raiya disregarded it and looked back down at the man who was now almost passed out from the pain* "If the I heal the whelp, can we begin our journey?"

*The men awestruck, looked at one another and began to shake their heads yes*

"Alright" she said. *Raiya knelt beside the almost unconscious man and began to murmur an ancient prayer, as she did this the bones began to crack into place and the man was fully unconscious now. Raiya continued her process as she put her hands on his injury and produced massive heat, which sealed the wound where the bone had come through his flesh.*

*Once the man was healed, Raiya stood up and faced the crew members* "I will pay for this journey and I will expect complete cooperation. If any of you try to steal from me again, I will not be so generous."

*With that statement the men scattered, two attending to the newly healed man on the ground and one getting the boat ready*

*Raiya began to think how easy it is to manipulate men and instill fear. Raiya reflected* "Perhaps fear is the best way to motivate mere men."

*One of the men turning in the general direction of Raiya calls out* "Ma'am we are ready to ship out when you are"

*Raiya smiling to herself* "It is so easy, I think I should throw people around more often" *Raiya laughs loudly and then composes herself and walks on to the boat* "Alright men lets begin shall we."

All members attending to the duties of the boat begin the second step in Raiya's journey.

[Raiya]

*As Raiya followed the men, she had been expecting a small fisher mans boat that could be easily maneuvered by four men, but as she turned the corner to where the men had taken their newly healed man, she saw a small ship. Not a grand ship of course, but it certainly was not a mere fishing boat or rowboat.*

*Raiya felt a tad bit of annoyance with the men, due to their lying nature. As Raiya stood next to the ship, she realized there was a whole crew. The men had told her that there were only four of them, but Raiya figured they told her that in order to make her heal the man. Although Raiya felt a tad slighted, the annoyance faded and she thought of the possibilities and advancements of having a crew.*

*As Raiya got onto the ship she felt accomplishment and pride. She knew that she made her own way and that satisfied her; however, Raiya also felt more than just accomplishment and pride. She could not exactly figure out what it was, but she felt a ache in her stomach.*

*Raiya thought to herself* "Perhaps it is fear, but why am I afraid? Failure, death, destruction..." *These words echoed through Raiya's brain and cause her to panic.* "What if I cannot do this? What if I fail? My home...destroyed....in vain?" *she thought to herself*

*As Raiya began to panic, she began to feel dizzy. Raiya grabbed ahold of the side of the ship in order to steady herself.* *Raiya realized that the crew were watching her carefully as she held fast to the deck rail. Raiya tried to compose herself the best she could, but it wasn't until she closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and exhaled, that she felt more calmed. Once Raiya cleared her mind, she felt stronger; however Raiya began to feel this overwhelming warmth, as if someone were hugging her, comforting her. Raiya could not help but feel as though someone were watching her and calming her down. As Raiya was enjoying the warm embrace of the unknown, she was abruptly interrupted.*

"Ma'am?" the young boatswain remarked. *Feeling irritated that this moment had been ruined by a young boy of maybe 12, Raiya answered with a stern voice.* "What?" "We are shoving off Ma'am. The captain wanted me to inform you." *The boy went to turn away with a puzzled and upset look on his face* "Wait!" *Raiya said with a kinder voice this time.* *The boy turned to her* "Thank you for informing me." *Raiya smiled, something that she used to do all the time when her mother was still around* *The boy gleamed from this change in mood* "It was no trouble at all ma'am." *The young boatswain turned and resumed his duties to the ship*

*Raiya walked to the starboard side and looked out to the water. As Raiya stood there she longed to feel that warm embrace once again, but could not.*

*The captain approached Raiya* "Do you have the payment required for our services in your journey?" *Raiya turned to him* "Of course." *She reached into her supply bag and pulled out a decent amount of riches, she handed him two bags* "You will get the rest when your job has been completed." *The captain widely smiled* "But of course Ma'am." *The captain announced loudly* "Time to set sail boys!" *and with that, the captain returned to his post*

*Raiya was on her way to the Meigin Temple and was exhilarated that she was moving along so well on her quest. Although she was filled with joy for her accomplishments and fear for her home, she was also filled with confusion and longing. The warm embraced that calmed her so completely was now gone, but the draw to the unknown warmth was in another place and it was not in the direction of the Meigin temple. It was as if she was being pulled toward someones energy. Someone that needed her. Raiya ignored this pull and composed herself. She was determined to press on in her quest at all costs, no distractions.*

***And so the next chapter has begun in Raiya's journey....

[Dawn Walker]

~As Raiya stood by the railing of the boat, that was more like a small ship; Lysander stood deep in the shadows underneath the cabin that housed the helm. In the deep gloom of the boat house Lysander's eyes were only distinguishable by the red lines surrounding his pupil, he watched her, a half elf half angel and it amused him. 'What a peculiar creature,' he thought. He studied her more closely, her easy stance told him she was an able fighter, but the split second of distraction told him she might be easily twisted and swayed. As the captain stood behind the helm of the boat, easing it out into the open ocean he glanced back to where Lysander was, not being able to see him but knowing he was most assuredly there.~

"Your men are weary of this one? Why is that Captain?"

~Lysander stepped forward from the shadows into a lighter darkness, he could not yet stand in broad daylight, over the years he began to work up a tolerance to the dizziness and weak feeling it left him with.~

"She is different than any elf I have ever met, she has commissioned us to take her to Meigin Temple; she wont cause any trouble I am sure."

~Lysander raised one suspisious eye brow and let it fall slowly as he considered the possible outcomes with the elf involved. In the end he decided that it would be best to let the woman go on her way as soon as possible.~

"Very well captain it is you ship after all. You may do as you please and if it lines your pockets with gleaming gems then all the better for the both of us."

~Lysander was wearing a crooked toothy grin as he stepped back into the shadows.~

[Raiya]

*As the ship came underway Raiya felt the pull from the unknown source now more than ever. Raiya thought "Does someone need my help? Should I continue this quest?" Then out of the corner of Raiya's eye, she caught a glance at the captain, who was exiting the cabin that housed the helm. Although this was not a particularly strange event, Raiya felt like there was something amiss.*

*Raiya found the young boatswain that she had seen before* "How many crew members are on this ship?" she asked.

"The crew varies depending on the ports we enter, but generally we have 15 or so men; however, we do have a man on board that no one has seen, except the captain. The captain informed us that he was not to be disturbed and you were not to be told of his presence."

*Raiya began to ponder the mysterious treatment, but was reminded by the small breathing coming from the boatswain that she was not alone. Raiya smiled at the boy. "Thank you and your loyalty is noted and appreciated. If you hear anymore about this random traveler please let me know. Also, inform me of his whereabouts if you can, but do not get caught. I do not want the captain to know our business, nor do I want to jeopardize your safety."

*The boy smiled* "Yes Ma'am"*The boy returned to his duties*

*Raiya stood in silence pondering the possibilities, but then she felt the pull and warmth from the unknown presence again. The person that needed her? However, there was a new feeling. A closer feeling. Someone was watching?*

*Raiya was very torn, but it was not enough to set her off her goal. She was very curious about this stranger on board though and why they were so secretive?*

[Dawn Walker]

~ Lysander watched the captain leave; in the absence of any other mortal being, Lysander lowered his hood, his white hair showing brightly in the pitch black room. He thought to himself: So many things to take into consideration, too many people to keep track of; I don't know how I am going to do this. He ran his rough hands through his knotted hair. He had not slept in days since he joined the boats crew at the other side of the Kasho Sea. He has been having horrible nightmares about wicked and evil things. Beings that lurked in the shadows; creatures that he could not see but could almost feel crawling through his brain. From the time he stepped on the ship he felt like he was getting closer to his destiny. It was getting dark soon; he always felt more at home in the post dusk darkness. Dispite the stranger on the boat; he decided that he would go out onto the ships bow tonight, clear his head with the bitter swewt scent of the ocean air.~

"But until then I will wait. How often do I get to be so close to such an interesting Creature such as a half Angel?"

~Lysander walked over to the port view window, and looked out; he watched the Elf-Angel leaning against the railing of the boat. Still very interested.~