Did you just... really...? [Travel]

[Runeska]

[Enter with Niko, Ichiko, and animal companions]

Near the shoreline, Aclime had sat down his load. Upon it were Niko, Ichiko, and her animal companions, and standing erect between them all, was the massive Saddilia tree. Surely, Aclime hadn’t thought this through at all. How was he going to cross the sea with his allies, and the tree? Well, the allies weren’t a hard thing, but more than likely, no one could take the tree on their ship, for obvious reasons. So, he had very little choice but to set it down. He chose to dismiss himself. After all, Gekkido would know what to do.

[Enter with Zenovia]

Runeska had approached this way for one single reason. There was a tree he’d been following a long ways that seemed to be a Saddilia. It could only have been Aclime who’d finally found the thing. However, this went outside of the plan. Why the hell did he bring the whole thing when all he needed was the nuts, maybe a few branches? This would make things difficult. The tree had stopped, and suddenly a flash of information and memories returned to him. He paused to make sense out of it before his right hand over his face. This was ridiculous.

Well, Runeska turned around to wait on Zenovia. The girl was… strong willed, stubborn, or maybe proud. It was probably a combination. In either case, he’d just emerged from the forest, onto a hilltop overlooking the coastline a short distance. On his person, he had the Tenkyo Buryoku, the Kyuushi, and the tokihage. The rest of the equipment was unimportant at this point, so he just checked for his gas mask, map known world, and compas and felt it was fine as it was. He’d need to bring the tree, and all of the inhabitants back to mist, so as he walked closer to the tree, he figured he’d have to carry it all, or leave something behind. Hoepfully, he wouldn’t scare Zenovia off with such a nonsensical but monstrous display of strength.

[AMATERASU]

I, Zenovia, thought I was probably becoming a bit delirious. It wasn't possible to be so horrifically strong as to lift that entire mass of dirt and wood. But then, he had held Durandal with relative ease. But he seemed reasonable and intelligent, not at all like someone under infernal influence. As my liege lord, I owed Runeska my loyalty so for now I would only watch. Right now I was still too tired to interfere. But if it looked necessary, I could perform an exorcism on him later.

I shifted my blades and the small buckler at my wrist into more comfortable positions, that I could follow more easily. I wondered how exactly he intended to fit it on a ship though.

Brushing aside my hair with one hand I could only shrug. What silliness this was.

[Runeska]

What the heck Aclime?

Sorry. I don’t know why I did that.

“Oh well,” he said out loud. He looked behind himself and saw Zenovia there, so she’d already witness that. Yet, she didn’t run or flee, nor said anything about it. So, either she was used to this, fully accepted it, or she was showing great consideration for their pact. He would never know without asking, but he didn’t wish to, at least not yet. Anyway, That Aclime had already uprooted the whole tree meant that it would soon die left as is. That meant if he came to these lands later, their might not be a Saddilia. In order not to invalidate any future trips, that meant he now had to take the tree home. Of course, no ship would take the luggage, so, he’d have to carry it.

Looking back at Zenovia then back to the tree, his alles sitting around it, and the ground beneath and surrounding it, this would be a strange trip. Lifting his hand, he struck the ground powerfully, making a 5 meters creator in the hill side near, but not quite by the tree. He ushered the rest of his voyagers there before looking to Zenovia. “Ok, here’s the deal. Now, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m going to lift this tree, the land around it, and you guys. Then I’m going to carry everyone to our destination. The two things I need for you, are to not freak out and panic at this audacious situation, and to navigate for me.”

Assuming she didn’t move away or resist, Runeska would approach calmly, clearing his throat through an awkward silence as he presented her with a map and a compass. He’d open it and point to the land of fire, pointing to their general location before tracing past the minor island nations all the way to the land of water, their destination. “We’re going here. Use this map and compass to make sure I stay on course. I never carried anything large like this while crossing the seas. My hands and attention will be quite preoccupied, so if you will Zenovia dear.” His tone was very coaxing, as if convincing someone that what he was doing was absolutely normal and run of the mill in nature.

However, once she complied, he would move further down the hill and focusing. Using his full strength, he activated chaos as he stabbed into the ground. He shimmied and shifted about until the side of the cliff began to shift beneath his hands, after which, he leveraged himself enough to loosen the entirety of the ground, a 50 cubic meter chunk of ground, but did so steadily, so that no one was thrown, and nothing was suddenly lost. Immediately, he took off toward the sea. By pacing his jumps and altering his the displacement of chakra, he was able to cross the sea by large bounds at a time at speeds exceeding 70 miles per while hours, all the while carrying his luggage and guests while only being slightly drained by the ordeal.

While he traveled, he tried to remain on course, relying on Zenovia’s guidances as the hours began to pass. With his heavy load, the ocean surface began to distort every time he landed, causing water to splash and soak him, but he continue at his pace, wary of pausing on the water’s surface for more than a second. Eventually, the land of fire would disappear behind them. In its place, before them, mist soon began to blanket the horizon as the ocean became deeper blue, and longer still, a new land mass began to appear before him. Off of pure endurance, if everything went properly, he land on the shores of Mizu no Kuni, choosing set the land mass down as gently as possible. The shore hear had no people, at least yet. So he rested and allowed everyone who wanted to get off. Frankly speaking, that was very tiring after a while, and he’d need proper rest and a meal at home.

SPOILER: Click to show

[eternal chaos]

[Move to Mizu no Kuni

[AMATERASU]

As I thought. Somehow this was Runeska's doing. He proved it more when with a single punch he was able to dig out a portion of the hillside and shuffle everyone inside, myself included. He wanted me to act as a navigator. Fine. I could do that.

"Okay."

Again he proved his unnatural powers, when he slowly was able to lift the entire mass over his head. I knew I was not light, and Durandal was almost as heavy again. Including the person whose gender I cared not to determine at the moment and the animals sharing this space with me, and the weight of earth and wood the strength needed was something truly monumental.

I didn't ask him to explain. He would do so on his own in time, I believed.

Ah but Sister Griselda, this was an interesting way to travel. It was like the ship we took, but also with a rise and fall to it that was much more extreme. It seemed that he was somehow merely jumping, though miles at a time. Was everyone here so strong as Runeska or the Nosferatu? I had much to learn if I wished not to die.

I shared no words with my fellow passenger, and they shared none with me. That was alright. I wasn't here to socialize. I was here to eliminate the men and monsters who served the Satans in this mortal life, whether knowingly or not. Nothing more, nothing less. My indenture to Runeska would be honored so long as he wished, but ultimately it was only a means to an end.

When needed I would call down to him to correct course. He must have heard despite the wind, or else had some other way of sensing my directions, since he invariably followed them. Land loomed ahead through the mists. I'm not smart, but I still estimated we were near our destination. That was probably it.

[Runeska]

Explanations needed to go around, he was sure. But now now. He’d stayed there on the shore resting for a few minutes. The permeating silence only broke by the sounds of the waves breaking and cascading against the sand. Truth be told, he was tired, but not quite exhausted. Weighing his options, it made more sense to just take the tree. Ichiko and Niko were still unresponsive as well, so he’d have to take them too. This had suddenly become very troubling, and even harder to explain without causing a scene.

“Zenovia dear? Our contract? I think it’s fair if you have some answers. We’re in my land now. When we’re at my home, I’ll answer you as well as I can. Bare with me a while longer.”


This is why you shouldn’t exert yourself, fake. Though, I suppose I’ll give you a pass today. This incident is barely your fault at all.

I’m sorry, I didn’t think it all the way through…

Yes, well that much is obvious. But your walls of safety loom ahead. Go now. I’ll decided what to do with you after we’ve rested.

Enough. I can’t concentrate. We’re not home just yet.

“You can walk, or you can continue to be carried like this. Either way, we’ll be home soon” Rune activated chaos again. He’d been resting, so it had been cut off for a while. Now however, he lifted a 10 square meter chunk of earth surrounding the saddilia tree and started off, noticeably less burdened than the rest of the trip. That being as it were, it still carried the animals, Niko, Ichiko, and Zenovia, is he decided to.

[Exit]

[AMATERASU]

"Understood, I can walk from here."

I didn't want to continue being a burden. It was a small thing, for now, almost meaningless given his strength displayed, but that strength looked to tax Runeska dearly. To do such a frivolous thing in spite of that. It was reckless. But then, I was hardly the one to pass judgement for recklessness, having stood on death's door for exactly such a thing. On top of that, I wasn't likely to change. I had trouble using my head to fight. I am sorry Sister Griselda! This poor power-idiot of a sinner is still in your care!

I climbed back down to walk beside him in the shadow of the tree.

[exit]