Interlude 9: Blessing of Stillwater Thu Jul 20 2000 >> The air is dark and thick with humidity as Shane awakens, so thick the scent of plant and earth can almost be tasted. Things buzz about, unseen, and water drips slowly from somewhere. * Shane drowsily opens his eyes... * Shane is calm for endless moments, until he wakes up enough to reralize he doesn't know where he is. * Shane remembers vaugly running from something, and a girl... but not running from the girl... something... * Shane rubs his temples... he seldom gets headaches, and seldom forgets anything... but it always irritates him when he does. And they usually come in conjunction... * Shane looks around a little, eyes adjusting. As he tries to stand up, he realizes he is incredibly sore, and `so 'decides' to stay put for a bit... >> His surroundings gradually come into focus as his eyes adjust. He lies on a soft bed of grass in a small clearing surrounded by tall trees and jungle plants. Vines hang to the ground, and animals scuttle through the darkness just beyond the clearing's borders. A pool of water lies nearby, fed by a trickle from higher ground. Water drips slowly into the pool from the leafy fronds of a large plant. Shane: .oO{ relaxing place...I cou- ) * Shane's eyes bolt wide open. Shane: Spirit world!!! Shane: I was...! Shane: ...!! Shane: .oO{ Am I still? } Shane: .oO{ Shards! I need to get to Adlehyde! } >> It's difficult to tell if he's back in the real world or not ...there are a thousand distractions in the clearing. Shane: .oO{ Adlehyde... She was going there too... } Shane: .oO{ she... she... who was she? } * Shane chuckles to himself. All he can seem to summon about this phontom-girl is that she was cute, and she was around when the... Shane: ... * Shane can't seem to remember now what "what happened" even was... it was almost like a bad... * Shane chuckles again. Shane: Shane, Shane, Shane... haven't had a girl in so long, you're dreaming them up... * Shane smiles, and cringes this time at the movement he tried to make with it. >> The wild offers no answer save the endless drone, rustle and chatter of a thousand hidden things. Shane: .oO{still, it was a nice dream... for a while... } Shane: .oO{ That explains it all... there really isn't a spirit realm. That'd be silly... } Shane: .oO{ Hrmm... I've never had a lucid dream before... note: read up on dream-studies when back home. Could use the dream-time for cognizant though and planning... most efficient... } * Shane, shuffling away his idle thoughts, attempts to get up again, very slowly this time. >> A middle-aged woman in light white robes steps from the woods. Her hair is greying and tied in a tight bun with a thorned vine wound around it, and her face seems older than it is, but kind. She makes no noise as she walks, disregarding Shane to kneel at the pool. * Shane slowly gets up into a sitting position, feeling none-the-good about the effort. Shane: He..llo? >> She doesn't seem to hear. * Shane attempts to cast a healing spell on himself to clear up this pain. >> The pain gradually subsides in a wash of faint light, leaving nothing but a dull ache. Shane: Hello... Ma'am? >> Finally he gets her attention, and she looks back his way. "Hmm? Yes?" Shane: Well, er... Shane: Where am I? Woman: This is the Hidden Heart. If you listen you can hear it. * Shane blinks twice, pauses, cocks his head, and listens. >> It's faint, but beyond all the distracting noises, there's a soft, rhymthic thumping, not entirely unlike the beating of a heart. After a moment of listening to it, he realizes that everything in the jungle is synchronized with the heart's beating, even, unconsciously, his own breathing. * Shane considers this for a silent moment or two, and then attempts his sense magic spell. >> A barrage of strange sensations assault him...the entire area seems to be glowing and flickering. Shane: .oO{ new, but not unexpected... } Shane: Uh, thank you. I don't suppose you know how I came to this place? >> The woman face him, sitting down crosslegged on the grass. "You retreated here." Shane: Retreated...? Woman: From something that frightened you. * Shane looks at her for a moment. Shane: How rude of me... May I have the pleasure of your name? Woman: Call me Mary. And you? Shane: I'm Shane. Mary: Welcome to my forest, Shane. You can stay as long as you like. * Shane nods. Shane: I came here of my own volition, then? Shane: The last thing I'm sure that happened... I was on a boat... Mary: Yes, but perhaps not intentionally. Shane: How do you mean? Mary: You have been in the spirit world, and the mind world. This is your inner place. * Shane blinks. * Shane gives the woman a dry look... * Shane slaps himself. Mary: Careful, you don't want to hurt yourself. * Shane pinches himself a few times. >> Mary blinks at him. * Shane looks at her, puzzled. Shane: I'm not asleep? Mary: Well...maybe. It's hard to say what sleep is. What you have experienced could be called a dream, but it is real, and everything that happens to you here and elsewhere outside the physical realm is real also. Shane: ...are you a shaman? Mary: *nods* I am a shaman of Odoryuk. I have left the physical world behind to tend to my forest. Shane: .oO{ Well, this all makes sense, then... } Shane: ... Shane: ...have you been taking care of me? Mary: *shakes her head* You haven't been here very long yet. I just found you, but the woods have told me a lot about you and how you got here. Shane: oh? (holding back sarcasm for the sake of diplomacy) >> She nods. Shane: like what? Mary: You were on your way to Adlehyde when you were beset by Blights. They attempted to kill you, and your shaman travelling companions called upon the power of the Guardians to battle them. Shane: Ah. Shane: Is that all? Mary: You became catatonic shortly after from a combination of severe injuries and panic. Shane: And then I mysteriously got here? Mary: There's nothing mysterious about it. These realms are places of thought, not physics. Shane: Ah. Shane: So... how do I get to Adlehyde? Mary: I can show you the way. But there is a problem. Shane: Oh? Mary: Shane, there is a deep-seated fear within you that you yourself do not know of. If left untreated, it will return to cause further harm. Shane: Ha. fear? Of what? Mary: The Guardians. Shane: Heh... why would I be afraid of an old religion? * Shane covers the waver in his voice almost completly. Almost. Mary: I do not entirely know. The fear is buried deeply, too deeply for me to scrye. Shane: Ah. Well, how do I get to Adlehyde, then? Mary: You will not, unless your wound is treated. Shane: I am... not scared. >> She sighs, shaking her head and mumbling to herself. * Shane arches an eyebrow. Mary: I would prove it, but I don't want to aggravate your phobia. All I can do is caution you, if you do not want help. Shane: I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm sure you mean well, but I am a trained thaumaturgic scientist and technologist... and I have never seen the spirit world your fellow craftsmen believe their powers come from, nor the gods you worship. * Shane feels a little chill. Mary: No...? Think back. The memories are there. Shane: Think back to when? Really... I must get back to Adlehyde. It's very important that I do. Mary: You will need to pass through the spirit world. I cannot return you from here. Mary: This will be a problem if you do not believe such a place exists. Shane: I believe in what can be proven. To do otherwise would be a waste of time and will. Mary: Nothing can be proven, in the end. Shane: How very existential. * Shane gets up and stretches. * Shane looks around for a path out. >> The woman weaves her hands in front of her as though playing an invisible instrument, and a hole opens up in the ground, the textures of the woods' floor stretching downward into darkness. "This is the way, if you want out. But don't say I didn't warn you." * Shane walks towards the hole... looking at it dubiously. Mary: If you can't explain this adequately, perhaps you would rather try the woods. * Shane peers into the hole. >> It seems to go down forever, but doesn't lead into the earth...rather, the surface of the ground stretches to wrap around the hole's sides. * Shane uses magic sense to scrye the portal. >> Again, he is bombarded with strange sensations, too muddled to figure out. Shane: Hmph... Shane: ...the woods it is. >> She closes the hole, lowers her head and folds her arms, silent. * Shane walks to the edge of the woods. >> It's too dark to see far. * Shane listens closely again. >> He can still hear the heartbeat faintly...other than that, the sounds of animals and nature blend into thick ambient noise. * Shane grimaces. * Shane turns back. Shane: Why did you come here? Mary: This is my place. I help the hurt ones who wander into my woods seeking shelter, like yourself. Shane: You said that this was my inner place, earlier. Mary: This is THE inner place. It is a reflection of the people who are in it. Your corner of it is here. Mary: But I would presume you do not believe that. * Shane shrugs. Shane: You just happened to come along as I was waking up. Mary: I've been around. The plants told me about you. * Shane sits down * Shane looks tired. Mary: Trouble? Ah, well. Mary: Would you like something to drink? * Shane looks like he's on the verge of tears. Shane: Where am I? Mary: I've told you, dear. It's up to you whether you believe me or not. Shane: No, I KNOW what you said. Where am I really? Shane: TELL ME! Shane: What have I done? Who have I wronged to have this happen? Mary: That's the answer I believe is the truth. * Shane's shaken a bit, bitterness starting to fill his eyes, face shaking. >> She shakes her head and clucks her tongue. "Shane, life is full of suffering and misfortune. It's not about whether you've been good or bad. You are much better off here than most." * Shane closes his arms around his legs, and folds his head in. >> Mary sighs and returns to the pool, facing away from his huddled form. Time passes. * Shane gets up after some quiet reflection. He does not look happy. Shane: Whatever your game is, Shaman, I don't like it... Shane: ...but I'll play if it's the only way home. Mary: Very well, dear. I hope we can come to terms some time. * Shane is wearing an expression that makes it very plain that he doesn't believe that day exists in any future. >> She turns around, sitting crosslegged, and opens the strange vortex in the ground again. "Either you can enter alone and eventually die from your hidden wound, or I can treat you before you go. It is your choice, but my preference is to help all of Filgaia's creatures when they are in pain." Shane: ... Shane: ... Shane: ...what wound? Mary: The fear you deny you possess. * Shane's jaw is set, and he looks angry.... or maybe something else entirely. Shane: You're a psychologist shaman now, eh? >> The matronly shaman looks on with a certain sadness, her care evident. "I only know what the plants tell me, Shane, and they tell me of how you arrived in this place." Shane: You said I got here of my own will. Mary: You did. But you willed yourself to come here because you were terrified of something where you were. Shane: ... Shane: I'm not afraid of anything real. They're just nightmares. Shane: Dreams cannot hurt me. Mary: Then go in pain, I suppose. I cannot force you to stay or to confront the truth. Shane: What truth? You've been vague this whole time! Mary: I have told you. Shane: Told me what. That 'something' scared me? Shane: I have nightmares nearly every night! I know they frighten me. But I do *not* wake up in strange forests because of them. Mary: Then maybe this isn't a forest. Mary: And maybe what frightened you this time wasn't a nightmare. Shane: Well, it's not a dream. I've made very sure I'm awake. * Shane resists sticking his tounge out. Mary: How so? Shane: You don't recall the pinching and the slapping, eh? Mary: Ah. Your most excellent method of testing. I would be a foolish old woman to argue with that. Shane: You're saying I'm asleep? Shane: I'm usually not this lucid while asleep. Mary: Quite the opposite. Your logic is infallible; you are clearly awake. But if you are not dreaming, how DID you arrive here, and where IS this place? As you said, you do not normally wake up in forests. Shane: And I'm never this calm. Mary: You certainly weren't before. Shane: *clearly* I've been moved against my will from the boat! Mary: Certainly not be me, dear. Shane: Unless I have some latent teleportational fight-or-flee abilities I didnt know about before. * Shane sneers. Mary: In a way. >> She shrugs. "You have many powers you do not understand." * Shane looks at her blankly. Shane: Well, if you know more about me then I do, please, by all means, feel free to impart your sage wisdom. Mary: I know very little about you. Shane: You just said I had many powers I do no... * Shane moans. Shane: ... Shane: ... Shane: ...you say you want to help me, yes? Mary: Indeed. Mary: Odoryuk's purpose is to heal and assist; mine is as well. Shane: Ah. Odoryuk. * Shane looks unimpressed. Mary: Why do you ask? Shane: I'd almost forgotten that the shamans worshipped those statue things. Mary: Now you know. Was there something else you wanted to know about? Shane: ...just what it is you think that will destroy me. * Shane looks around nervously. Shane: Other than this creepy forest, and that hole. Mary: Your deeply buried fear of the Guardians. Shane: The Guardians? Ha! Shane: Why would fairy tales hurt me? They're no more real than my dreams. Mary: You asked. Mary: I notice you are still here, Shane. Shane: I am not afraid of your gods. Shane: I'm not... Shane: The churches are just.. Shane: ...and the... Shane: ...the... Mary: Yes? * Shane 's eyes begin to cloud over as he remembers the feelings he gets passing by the churches, looking up at the statues... hearing the prayers of the nuns and the dances of the shamans... * Shane is visibly shaking. Shane: I'm NOT! Mary: Of course not. But maybe it's best just to be on the safe side. >> She lays a hand on his leg. * Shane starts crying. * Shane turns away. >> The hand drops, and she lowers her head. * Shane sobs quietly at first, but gets louder with time. Mary: Shane... * Shane stifles back his tears... Shane: ...wh...what... d..do you wa...nt? >> Mary glows with a faint, warm comforting light that pulsates with the beating of the heart. "I want to help you." * Shane slowly turns towards her, face streaked with tears and eyes red, an expression of a frightened child in need on his face. Mary: Shane...Odoryuk will always watch over you. But he cannot heal the wounds of the past in one swoop. Shane: They can... can... Shane: ....can't! Shane: No... I'm just scared of the shadows... Shane: ...They can't... * Shane begins sobbing again. Mary: Shane...no matter what you're afraid of...you have great power and are a good person, and I want to help you. Shane: W...ww.w...wwhy? Mary: Why? Shane: Why am I af...ffraid? Mary: It's complicated. None of us have total control over our own minds, Shane. Shane: Thi..is...*sniff*... Shane: ...This wi..ill destroy me? * Shane looks frightened and saddened. Mary: Not if you let me help. I can bind the fear so you do not feel it...that will give you time to learn to cope. * Shane nods vigorously, like a child offered relief. Mary: I must warn you. I cannot cure the fear, merely bind it. When faced with the object that frightens you, you will simply feel nothing. In time perhaps, you can truly overcome it. Is this acceptable? * Shane grimaces and nods again. >> Mary closes her eyes and places the tips of her fingers on Shane's face, her four fingers spread across his forehead and her thumb on his chin. She murmurs quietly to herself as bluish energy pulsates in her hand. >> The spots where her fingers touch become warm, then hot, as a strange, almost mechanical calm overcomes Shane. * Shane wipes the tears from his face, coldly. >> Shane now has four blue marks glowing in an arc on his forehead, and one on his chin. Mary waves a hand in front of his face, and they fade as his emotions return. Shane: What... have you done? Mary: Simply bound your fear. You still feel fear normally, but when it reaches its peak, as it does with your old wound, it will simply stop until the cause is gone. >> Shane gains the Stillwater Curse! >> Shane's level four unique force is unsealed! Shane: How... can you control emotions? Mary: All is possible with the power of the guardians. * Shane looks blankly at the shaman, sad now. Mary: Are you all right? Shane: I do not know. * Shane frowns. Mary: It is best this way for now. * Shane's cheeks still feel raw and wet. Shane: Why did you do this for me? Mary: You are a good person. And I hate the sight of those in pain. Mary: I only hope your pain can be truly healed in time. * Shane nods. * Shane looks at her with trepidation and frankness now. Shane: ...I'm in the spirit world? Mary: Yes. The deepest part, closest to your own spirit. * Shane gulps. Shane: Have the last few days then... >> She nods. Mary: As real as anything can be said to be. * Shane frowns. Shane: What do I do now? Mary: You wish to continue to Adlehyde, to outrun the beast? * Shane nods. Shane: I suppose it is what I must do... Even when I thought it unreal, I was still compelled to go there. Mary: You must travel through this path. >> She points to the strange hole. Mary: It will be a strange trip, but should take you where you need to go. * Shane nods. * Shane steps towards the hole. Shane: ...Thank you. And, I'm sorry. Mary: Good luck to you. And it's all right. >> She smiles warmly. * Shane closes his eyes, and steps in, with a sense of deja-vu >> The hole encompasses him as he's sucked into blackness.